Richard Jackson is an Assistant Headteacher at Lessness Heath Primary School in Belvedere, South London.   

Please tell me a bit about your route into education and career journey?  

"I grew up in Portsmouth and went to university there to study teaching, via the school-centred initial teacher training route. I then moved to London and my first role was with The Federation of Barnehurst Schools (BHF) (prior to the school joining the Primary First Trust) which had just received an ‘Inadequate’ school Ofsted inspection. I took on various responsibilities throughout my time there, including being part of their Senior Leadership Team and developing core learnings for English and Maths.  

“After four years at BHF, I decided to go travelling. When I returned, I knew that I still had a passion for teaching and I received an email about Lessness Heath Primary School, another school within The Primary First Trust, so knew it would be an excellent place to return to teaching.

“I started with classroom teaching and had lots of opportunities to develop. I taught multiple Year 6 classes as well as the nursery. This gave me a more holistic understanding of teaching children and how important those early years are to developing learning foundations. I later became Phase Leader for Years 5 and 6, taking on attendance and then Assistant Headteacher.

“As Assistant Headteacher, I really found my passion for the curriculum, leading our school’s curriculum and development of subjects. I manage a big team of subject leaders and we collectively try to make the curriculum as personal to our community as possible, ensuring that it works for the pupils here. . We have four curriculum drivers to support this: understanding people, widening the world, futures and education for equality. We are part of a diverse community and so the decisions we make about the curriculum are mostly around the needs of our community.

“Leading the curriculum is a great part of my job and fortunately for me, I’m still able to teach a Year 6 writing class every day. I’m grateful to still be teaching a class as I can deliver elements of the curriculum and think about my practice.”

What made you return to education after your trip around the world? 

“My plan was always to return to teaching – I had just realised that there was an opportunity to go travelling and see the world for a couple of years. I had so many incredible experiences when I was away.

“My trip grounded me and opened my eyes to what is possible. I’ve been able to apply a lot of that learning to the curriculum ideas, hopefully inspiring our children to explore different opportunities in their futures.” 

How does PFT support your development and Lessness Heath? 

“In the run up to our most recent Ofsted inspection in September, the Trust was very involved with supporting us and making sure we knew how to prepare. We were able to speak to colleagues at the Trust about the curriculum, for example, and they were very helpful with making sure we were heading in the right direction to be successful around curriculum development. Being able to speak to people who have experience with the things we are trying to achieve is a great foundation of support, which we can build on.

“We get the most support as SLT as the Trust is able to offer validation or challenge to our decision making which is what we find incredibly helpful. I am also mentored by a Headteacher at another school, with whom I was put in touch with by the Trust. I have regular coaching sessions with him which are very useful.” 

What advice would you give to new teachers starting out?  

“As a new teacher, my biggest piece of advice is don’t be scared to ask for help. When you are starting, everyone is in the same position and there is no such thing as a bad question. The worst thing you can do is avoid sharing an issue or asking a question with your Senior Leadership Team, line manager or colleague and letting something become an issue later. When I started teaching, I was that person who didn’t want to ask a question because I didn’t want to bother anyone. But I soon found out that SLT actively want you to bother them!

“Teachers are realistic about what a new teacher will know. Nobody is expecting you as a newly qualified teacher to know everything! We will guide you to grow and a good leader will think positively about how they can support your development. If you need an answer to a question, you will be able to get one.”