I left an outstanding London school for a struggling coastal one

Nadia Paczuska moved her family from the capital to rural Suffolk to make a real difference to children’s lives

“This sounds like you.” I was deputy head at an outstanding school in Hackney when I found these words scribbled on a note on my desk, along with a flyer for Future Leaders. The headmaster had left them there, so I felt rather obliged to contact them. I applied, went through the primary scheme, and very quickly realised not only that I wanted to be a headteacher as soon as possible, but that I was ready to do it.

Any deputy must know deep down they want to be a head, but I’d never said it out loud to myself, this is what the programme gave me; a clarity of vision and a commitment to making a difference from a strategic position. So, I started applying for headships, getting down to the final two on three occasions, and being accepted once, but being unable to take the role. In the time this gave me to reflect, I started to realise that my energy and style would be much better suited to a school that desperately needed rapid change.

Reading about areas in the UK where there were schools that didn’t have great leadership, that didn’t have great results, I was quite staggered. I realised London primaries were really impressive, and these schools were an absolute contrast. When I visited a friend of mine in Suffolk, I started to think this was somewhere I could make a difference, and as luck would have it, Future Leaders launched the Talented Leaders programme at the perfect time. I applied, and on 1 June I took up my place at Meadow Primary in Lowestoft.

I’ve set a lot of wheels in motion already, but I plan on much more. I’ve been recruiting for the last two months for Meadow, and it’s more challenging than it has been in London, where you’ll get droves of good teachers respond to a bog-standard ad. Attracting people to schools that aren’t doing so well can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. It’s about appealing to applicants’ moral purpose. People are motivated to teach in challenging circumstances because they believe in education as the biggest tool for social mobility.

But it’s not just about drawing good teachers to the area, it’s about investing in those who are already there. Teachers haven’t had access to the training and development that they need. It should be made more accessible in peripheral regions so teachers don’t have to travel for miles to get it, and things like the London Challenge should be extended nationally.

When recruiting, I’ve really focused on what extra things each teacher can bring. I’ve got an expert ICT guy who’s going to run a coding club, and a yoga teacher who’s going to do yoga and dance. All of my teachers will do something above and beyond. I’ve also employed a teacher who is responsible for community links, and he will be looking at adult education, family learning, community organisation and groups and making sure we’re signposting our families to children’s centre activities, cubs, brownies – all the things that middle-class children do.

Outside of school, though, I like to offer activities such as horse riding and music tuition that are usually reserved for more privileged children. There’s so much to be gained from that socially, cognitively, emotionally, and it gives them a better chance of moving on and up and out. You can use your pupil premium grant, and see what local businesses and charities are keen to work with schools.

We will also offer a Saturday school for children to catch up on learning. If you get them to love learning, coming in on the weekend isn’t an issue. Obviously, there has to be something in it for the child, she has to be motivated, so it’s about making sure those sessions are meaningful, engaging, exciting, and not just a boring add-on. And if you only get three children, that’s three children whose education you’ve enriched. It’s still worth it.

It’s not that difficult to improve schools. It takes passionate people who care about improving life chances. That’s why I moved my family from London to Suffolk; because I strongly believe that giving young people the opportunity to succeed is our most important issue. If you get your staff committed to that mission, your school improves very quickly.

About the author

Nadia Paczuska is headteacher at Meadow Primary School in Lowestoft and a member of the Future Leaders network