James took part in our Summer School programme back in 2001. Since then, he’s dedicated his career to improving education for disadvantaged young people and is now an Executive Headteacher at two schools in the West Midlands. James won the Outstanding Achievement award at our 2024 Alumni Awards.

What led you to apply for your programme and what was your experience like? 

“I grew up in Walsall, West Midlands and went to my local secondary school, which was one of the worst schools in the country for attainment at that point in time. I was lucky to have some brilliant teachers and managed to get good grades in my GCSEs. I continued with my A-Levels at the same school and my Head of Sixth Form encouraged me to apply for a Summer School with the Sutton Trust. I took part in the Engineering Summer School at the University of Bristol. I absolutely loved the sessions – they really opened my eyes and gave me the chance to get hands-on experience. Until that point, I had thought of university as something that grammar school kids did.”

How did your path develop after the programme? 

“I was the only person in my sixth form who went to university. I went to Coventry and studied industrial engineering. I had never initially thought of going into teaching, because I didn’t like the prospect of an additional cost of a PGCE on top of my bachelor’s degree loans. However, I had stayed in touch with my DT teacher and he encouraged me to enrol on to a Graduate Teacher Programme. This was an alternative to a PGCE but still achieved Qualified Teacher Status whilst receiving a salary as you trained.”

Tell us more about your career. How did you become a headteacher?   

“I qualified as a Design & Technology teacher and absolutely loved it. I’ve always worked in schools where there was high deprivation and a high number of Pupil Premium pupils, serving communities very similar to where I grew up. I’ve always had a strong work ethic and ‘fire in my belly’ to be the best at what I do. This helped me to take opportunities to develop and take leadership roles.

In my second year of teaching I took on additional responsibility leading careers advice and our work experience programme as this was something I was passionate about. It allowed me to show pupils the full range of what is out there and what they could do as adults. I secured my first Assistant Headteacher post within six years of teaching, which was unusually early, but I was up for the challenge. As part of the leadership team at Matrix Academy Trust I’ve then gone into four failing schools, worked on turning them around, and moving them from being judged as inadequate by Ofsted to now being at least good.”

What do you enjoy about your role?

“As a Headteacher, I’m not classroom based – I miss the classroom but I’m passionate about ensuring as many pupils as possible reach their full potential, have the confidence to compete for the most prestigious jobs, and thrive in their chosen career path. At one of the schools I lead we have had significant success in a range of areas and in most cases buck national trends for the better. This work has been used as case studies and models of best practice for the Department for Education, who look to share these strategies on a national level.”

How have you built up your professional network? Did you encounter any barriers to pursuing a teaching career?

“I’ve built my professional network using LinkedIn, which I’ve found valuable to connect with other education professionals and promote the changes we are making at my schools.

There are certainly some barriers to teaching for those from backgrounds of socioeconomic disadvantage. The prospect of studying past your initial degree with the additional loans and tuition fees, through the traditional PGCE route, might be off-putting for many. Alumni should explore all the alternative ways into the profession as some of these come with significant bursaries and even salaried initial teacher training programmes.”

What advice would you give to younger Sutton Trust alumni wanting to go into your sector? 

“For alumni considering going into teaching, I would say give it go – you’ve got nothing to lose. There is so much more than just the classroom side of the job and you will develop so many transferable skills. Teaching isn’t for everyone – you must have a tough outer shell. Getting to know the backgrounds and lived experiences of the pupils you teach is essential to being successful and sometimes their stories can be heart-breaking. It is so rewarding when you help build these children into successful, confident, and resilient individuals who will contribute to wider society.”

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