‘Take time to hire the right people’
is the finance director at Rastrick High School. She’s the brains (and numbers) behind projects including the launch of the school’s Smarties Nursery, and explains that lots of her best ideas are inspired by shampoo…
challenged by government. We’re consistently being asked to do more with less – and at Rastrick we’ve decided to respond proactively. We’re exploiting our strengths in business services such as leadership, payroll and HR support to bring extra income to the school.
He was also a real risk-taker and successfully started a new business at the age of 56. He carried on as a true role model until the day he died. One of the things I’m most proud of is setting up Smarties Nursery at
Rastrick High School. We saw a real opportunity to offer great, on-site childcare to our staff and fulfil a valuable role in the local community. The income generated by the nursery goes straight back into school and allows us to support areas that might be at risk otherwise. Some schools have reduced their arts provision, but we’re determined not to go down that route. At Rastrick, we’re immensely proud of our Talented Musician Development Programme and the high level of participation in music activities throughout the school. We know that students who access these activities benefit from increased self- confidence and self-worth.
Our staff. The school’s motto is “chase perfection, catch excellence”. High quality teaching and learning is at the centre of everything we do, and without great teaching staff it just wouldn’t be possible to perform at this level. I do use social media, but not strategically. I’m pretty sure there’s more I could be doing, and probably ought to try harder. That’s a difficult one – I love mountains though. I’d probably have tried to find a reason to spend time there – perhaps being a ski Instructor or running a restaurant. My advice would be to take time to hire the right people – and go with your gut feeling at the interview stage. Outside work, I enjoy sports such as cycling, running and swimming, and I like to take on new challenges too – a highlight this summer was my first ever surfing lesson. I’m sure it won’t be my last. I might make an exception if Drew Povey, from Educating Manchester, was free for a coffee. I’d like to pick his brains about change and transition. He has an innovative, entrepreneurial leadership style, and it would be great to have ten minutes of his time.