We caught up with James Brown, newly promoted ‘Science Curriculum Director’ for the Trust to find out a bit more about him.
Hi James, can you tell us a bit about your career background?
After qualifying, I worked as a science teacher and progressed through a variety of leadership roles within Science leading to Head of Science at an outstanding Catholic Secondary. To gain experience in a different setting, I moved to Stratton Upper School (now part of Meridian Trust) as Head of Science. During my time at Stratton, I took on a secondment as associate SLT for Curriculum and Timetabling- writing the school timetable. Last year I joined the core team at Meridian Trust working one-day-a-week and now I’ve been promoted to Director of Science, which I’m really thrilled about.
So how have you found the transition into this new role?
I’ve been ‘Curriculum Director of Science’ since September and so far, it’s proving to be a superb opportunity to work with colleagues across the Trust. In the past month, we have visited all of the Meridian Trust secondary school science departments and it’s been really special to see our fantastic teachers in action. It’s very evident how hard they work, day-in and day-out, supporting the students that we are privileged to serve. I’ve really enjoyed speaking to students and witnessing the superb teaching practice in action across the Trust. I’m keen to explore how we can disseminate those skills across the entire Meridian landscape, to further support our students and each other.
How would you describe the role of ‘Science Curriculum Director’?
It’s my responsibility to lead Science across the schools within the Trust, supporting the staff and students and leading the curriculum. As a core team, we’ve devised a 3-stranded vision, working hard to ensure that it’s meaningful (and not just words!).
In summary, our vision is to enable all students and staff to be:
- Empowered to excel – this is about developing the best of everyone’s resources to support the development of teaching and learning.
- Inspired to thrive – this places collective learning at the heart of what we do (working collaboratively to share best practice, to share pedagogy) so that in every classroom we’ve got the best strategies for teaching.
- Enriched to flourish – this is about ensuring that there are opportunities to extend the boundaries of learning in every Academy across the trust, to enrich learning so that our students can flourish. An example of this would be the Hub events we have coming up this year – involving an Escape Room challenge.
We apply this vision to every aspect of our work and it ties into the Meridian Trust strategy of placing students and staff at the heart of everything we do. In essence, it’s about creating the best learning environment for students and making sure that everyone feels valued for what they bring to our Trust community.
What is your one of your proudest achievements to date?
In a previous role, I’m very proud of bringing a previously-fragmented department together. We got to a place where everyone was pulling together towards a shared goal- it made a profound difference to our success. A unified, agreed vision that places the student at the heart of what we do is the key to success. I want every member of staff to know how valued and appreciated they are for what they bring to the department. Creating that culture authentically takes time, but it’s what I’m passionate about. I feel really optimistic about the future, because I know that across each of our academies, we’re blessed with truly brilliant practitioners. My mission is to join up those skills and experiences to make the Trust even better. The old adage is true: we’re stronger together than we are alone.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I’m a doting dad to two wonderful girls, so family life is busy, but I also lead the children’s work (along with my wife) at our Church (Kingsgate Community Church, Cambridge) which is a really important part of life outside of work.
What makes Meridian trust a great place to work?
What I love about Meridian Trust is how we place people at the heart of what we do. We’re an organization that works collectively to build on our individual strengths. We focus on creating the best learning environment for students, where they feel valued, supported, nurtured. For staff, there are opportunities to work with really high-calibre specialist leaders. No matter what stage of career you’re at, we can walk alongside you and help you in your next steps. As a trust we really do want staff to feel valued and appreciated for all they bring to our community. We look at researching and developing our craft, by tapping into the wealth of expertise within our team.
What’s the key to unlocking a passion for Science in children?
For me, it’s about inspiring and nurturing their inherent curiosity. It’s our job to provide them with a toolkit that allows them to explore the world around them, building the neuron pathways in their brains that link their everyday experiences and prior knowledge to new learning.
Who is your ‘science hero’ (alive or not!)?
There are so many to choose from! A great example that we celebrate in our schools is Rosalind Franklin, who wasn’t accredited for her work (during her lifetime) but was an inspiring innovator in the field of DNA…. but there are scientists who break ground on a daily basis- just think about the many unsung incredible Scientists who worked on immunisation for the recent pandemic.
What’s the biggest challenge for you in this role?
In every Academy we have seen fantastic practitioners with brilliant pedagogy, so my challenge is to develop a more consistent experience, so that the children get the best experience in every single lesson. We’re looking at a big curriculum project across the trust to get the best of everyone’s resources. This will improve the student experience, but also the workloads for our teaching staff.
What’s been the highlight of your first month in this role?
Visiting all of secondary science departments with my brilliant core team (Sam Cottrill and Michelle Garrod) has made for a great start to this role. We’ve been really impressed by how articulate, welcoming and friendly our students are. It’s a testament to the high quality environment being created for these young people. I’m proud to be part of a Trust that works so incredibly hard to support the students that it’s privileged to serve.