Chris has been a well-respected teacher at Great Ouse Primary Academy since 2017 when he joined as Deputy Principal. In September 2023, he became the school’s Principal. His passion for the school and its community is evident, so we caught up with him to find out more about his new role and aspirations for the school as it enters this new chapter under his leadership.
Chris, tell us a bit about your career history…
I’ve always been connected to the Bedfordshire education system in some way, having been a pupil at both Lincroft and Sharnbrook Academies (part of Meridian Trust) before going on to study at the University of Bedfordshire and then working in local schools throughout my teaching career.
Before joining GOPA in 2017, I was Head of Maths at another Bedfordshire school and prior to that I was an NQT in the local area. I come from a teaching family, so you could say that it’s in my DNA! I feel very lucky to have found a career that I’m passionate about.
How would you describe the culture at GOPA?
GOPA is a wonderful school with a very supportive community. Our families are a brilliantly diverse group, which makes for a vibrant and happy culture. Our PTA organises great fundraising events (that go towards new programmes and facilities – like our new ‘Pupil and family support room’ and our ‘Lego therapy’ group). Staff members are passionate educators and we all work together to continually improve and support each other. I operate an ‘open door’ policy with staff and pupils and we even have our own school haka – which every child knows off-by-heart. We’re a happy bunch!
What are you excited about this academic year?
As a relatively new school, we’re still experiencing a lot of ‘firsts’ – which is exciting! I’m looking forward to seeing the impact of full-year groups this year.
At the end of this academic year, we’ll say goodbye to our original cohort of reception pupils as they depart for secondary school, which feels like quite a milestone.
As we continue to grow, we’ll be expanding our offering to accommodate a second Year 6 class in 2024.
I’m excited for our pupils in Years 4 and 6 as they have their residentials later in the year – always a great opportunity to extend the boundaries of learning and have lots of fun trying new things. We have a full calendar of sports fixtures and plenty of opportunities to get involved in music and the arts.
We’ll continue bringing the school community together with more fundraising events this year. The children are particularly excited to support our PE teacher, Mr Hammond, who will be sleeping in the PE shed in the Spring term, to raise money for our new storage facility!
How does Meridian Trust support you and the GOPA community?
The core team at Meridian Trust is brilliant at helping us with the day-to-day running of the school. The HR, Finance, Estates and IT functions are all operated centrally, by the trust, which frees us up to focus on doing what we love – providing an exceptional education for our children.
We also have access to networking, training and development opportunities through Meridian Trust, which enables us to stay sharp, keep learning and progress in our careers.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I have a young family, so home life is full of fun, but very busy! I love to be outdoors as much as possible, so when time allows, my hobby is ‘board sports’ – in particular snowboarding and wakeboarding. I was actually a wakeboard instructor in my youth!