HOW I GOT HERE

Head teacher at Mulberry School for Girls, Vanessa Ogden reflects on her career journey

After studying theology and religious studies at the University of Manchester, Vanessa Ogden, 51, went into banking. Realising it wasn’t the industry for her, she made the career shift into teaching three years later. Since she became the head of Mulberry School for Girls, it has become vastly oversubscribed and was even visited by Michelle Obama. Here’s how Vanessa did it…

I STARTED IN BANKING ON A GRADUATE TRAINING SCHEME.

Within a year, I knew it wasn’t the career I wanted to pursue. At the time, there was a growing sales culture, which meant it was moving away from being a community and service-orientated profession, which was the side of life I was much more aligned to.

BEFORE MAKING THE CAREER JUMP, I SPENT TWO YEARS RESEARCHING.

I visited some schools and ran a youth club in the evenings. I wanted to make sure I could handle it, and it was a great way to test my abilities.

I TRAINED AT THE UCL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION,

on a year-long course where I studied in the university and went into schools. I met some really inspiring teachers, who taught me an enormous amount.

WITHIN THREE WEEKS OF GETTING MY FIRST JOB AS AN RE TEACHER, I BECAME HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT.

The previous head left very suddenly, so I was asked to step up. It wasn’t my intention to be a leader so quickly but I didn’t want the department to become vulnerable, so I decided I’d do whatever it took to make it work.

I WANTED TO SPECIALISE IN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT,

so the next school I went to was one that had been threatened with closure. I went there as head of faculty, and the head teacher and I worked really hard to bring the standard up. I then went to another school as a deputy head to do a similar transformation job.

WHEN I SAW THE POSITION OF HEAD TEACHER AT MULBERRY BEING ADVERTISED, I COULDN’T NOT APPLY.

It was one of the schools I’d visited when training, and I had been looking out for jobs there ever since. I thought I’d never get it, but given that I’d felt an affinity with the school, I applied anyway. Much to my surprise, they gave me the job.

MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE HAS BEEN OVERCOMING MY LACK OF CONFIDENCE.

I’ve never been a loud or extroverted person, so I worried about managing difficult behaviour. It’s what most people are concerned about, and when I’m in a taxi and say I’m a teacher, the questions are inevitably about discipline. I’m glad I didn’t let it put me off because I found that, in the end, it was one of the things I was better at.

MICHELLE OBAMA VISITED IN 2016.

I’d been head teacher for 10 years, and had been working very hard with my team to really foster the potential of the girls who are under-represented across society. This work saw the Embassy of the United States approach us regarding the launch of its Let Girls Learn initiative. When Mrs Obama came, it was the most surreal day, and I still haven’t fully processed it – watching her hug the girls was very special.

MOVING INTO TEACHING HAS BEEN LIKE WAKING UP TO A WORLD OF COLOUR.

It’s a challenging profession but there’s nothing more rewarding than engaging young minds – knowing that every learning moment is critical, and you don’t waste it.

‘I RAN A YOUTH CLUB TO TEST MY ABILITIES’