Chris Light recently took over as the principal at Bowerhill Primary School in Melksham. We called around to say hello and find out more about his plans for the coming year…
Hi Chris. Congratulations on your new role at Bowerhill Primary School. Can you let us know, please, where you taught before taking over at Bowerhill and what attracted you to the role?
Thank you. Most recently I was splitting my time between being Interim Headteacher at a small school on Salisbury Plain and Deputy Headteacher of a large two form entry school in Calne, which made my week very interesting splitting my time over two schools. Ofsted called on my seventh day in my previous Headteacher role, which resulted in a ‘Good’ outcome, which was a bit of a baptism of fire!
I’ve always enjoyed being part of bigger school communities, which was part of the initial attraction to Bowerhill. However, I was completely sold once I saw the passion and togetherness of the staff team and the enthusiasm that radiated from the children – we really do have a wonderful school community!
I also live within the Melksham community so it’s a good opportunity to make a difference for the children in my local area.
What do you see as the main strengths of Bowerhill Primary School?
The children are an absolute credit to the school community. From my first visit, it was clear that they are very proud of their school and have built quality relationships with the school staff and that has only grown throughout my first six months.
The school has been through a difficult couple of years with changes in leadership but the whole school staff have been the absolute bedrock that has provided the platform for our rapid improvement journey since I took up the role in June. Despite these changes in leadership, the staff team have remained relatively stable which shows how invested they are in the school.
What changes are you looking forward to introducing at the school and why have you decided to make those changes?
We are well on the way with lots of improvements in many areas. The school’s Ofsted inspection in February 2022 highlighted a number of real strengths of the school’s core curriculum, particularly in areas such as music, Early Years and the children’s behaviour.
We have reviewed our school values with our school community and have created a new curriculum which enables our values to be lived through it. This was launched in January and we are currently embedding this new approach across the school.
We have also been working hard to work with our local community. We have re-established swimming in the new Melksham Community Campus and have a new relationship with Wiltshire School of Gymnastics which means that all of our children from Years 1-6 receive specialist gymnastics coaching at a national level gymnastics centre every year.
What is the school’s relationship with other schools and the community in Melksham and the surrounding area?
Being part of The White Horse Federation means that we have a very close relationship with the majority of the schools in and around Melksham, as most of them belong to the same trust. We regularly work together at all levels which is a great source of support for the whole trust.
With Melksham Oak being the school which the majority of our pupils move on to, we have been working with their Senior Leadership Team and Heads of Department on our curriculum development. This includes input from Melksham Oak to give our children the best possible start to their secondary education.
I want Bowerhill Primary to be a really outward facing school that also opens its arms to the community. We have welcomed the police and paramedics into school to talk to children, and we have plans for a Year 6 project with a local financial advisor which is just the beginning of bringing industry experts into school to bring purpose to the children’s learning.
What do you see as the main challenges facing schools and their pupils over the coming years?
The challenges in schools remain the recruitments and retention of high quality teaching and support staff that we have seen over a number of years now. We have seen many fantastic, experienced colleagues leave the profession over the last few years for new experiences outside of education, which is a real shame.
For pupils, I think the challenges will be learning as the world is changing so quickly around them. The war in Ukraine is a perfect example of how quickly the world can change and thousands of pupils in UK schools will have made new friends with Ukrainian refugees being housed in this country.
It is vital that as schools we are equipping our younger generation with empathy and strong values to ensure that they are true global citizens and emotionally resilient in the years ahead. This was at the core of our curriculum development and design, and is reflected in our values – Respect, Resilience, Responsibility, Creativity, Courage and Understanding – and curriculum drivers – Culture, Conflict, Conservation and Communication.
Will you be taking on a classroom teaching role alongside being the new principal?
While I don’t have a consistent class teaching responsibility, I think it’s really important that headteachers remain in touch with what it’s like in the classroom and lead from the front in terms of what quality first teaching looks like. I am currently doing an afternoon to release one of our teachers and it’s fantastic. I do love being back in the classroom but it’s a very fine balancing act as the headteacher’s responsibilities wait for no one!
You mention on the Bowerhill School website that education must be inclusive. Can you tell us what you mean by this and why it is so important?
It’s a big question that boils down to my view on the purpose of education and my personal philosophy on life and education. Ultimately I see education as a lever for social mobility and supporting our children with special educational needs or those from disadvantaged backgrounds has to be front and centre of what we are trying to achieve as a society as this is where we can make the biggest impact.
For me, being inclusive goes beyond supporting children with additional needs or providing opportunities for high-flying academic results, in that we fully embracing the needs and interests of every child and our whole school community, doing our utmost to meet those needs. This includes striving for the best possible pastoral and academic outcomes for our children and their families, and preparing children for the next stage of their school lives by the time they leave us in Year 6.
On a lighter note, through your journey in education, can you recall a funny story from the classroom that always makes you smile?
Working with young children means that there are constantly funny stories and anecdotes, from unfortunate spelling mistakes to random conversations. One initiative I have introduced as part of our new behaviour approach is a ‘Hot Chocolate Friday’. This is aimed at the children who always get it right and embody the school values.
I invite 12 children from a different year group each week to have hot chocolate and a biscuit with me as a reward for being superstars. Doing this with Reception children is hilarious! Hot Chocolate Friday turn to ‘Lukewarm Chocolate Friday’ and the conversation is just so beautifully random. You ask the children one question and they just answer the question they wanted you to ask in the first place. Thinking about it never fails to lift my spirit.
To find out more about Bowerhill Primary School, go to www.bowerhill.wilts.sch.uk