Stephen Potter's Last Blog

DECEMBER 2011

As I hope you all know, I am retiring this month, leaving the Academy in great hands. Jan Shadick, a friend and colleague for five years, is coming from ULT’s Swindon Academy to take over as Principal from 1st January.

This has been a really wonderful time as people say the nicest things to you - once they know you are leaving! My retirement party started back at the end of the summer when I was honoured to be part of a farewell ceremony for myself, Jenny Woodrow the Head of Heathbrook School and Liz Divall, the Head of Macaulay. All of us were presented with a wonderful parting gift with the emblems of the six schools in our local cluster (below).

I am having a tea party with parents on Tuesday 6th December at 5.00pm. I am hoping that parents who have stood by the Academy through times good and bad will come so that I can thank them personally.

I have had an exciting career in teaching. In the last 26 years I have had the great privilege of teaching in three new (or nearly new schools; the Academy, The Charter School and St Francis Xavier 6th Form college, which was my first teaching job). Leading a new school is the best job in education.

Before I became a teacher, I was a journalist for 15 years. It has been truly appalling listening to the proceedings of the Levenson Enquiry this week. The character of the press has changed dramatically over the past couple of decades. I don’t think it was an overstatement when the leadership of News International was compared to the mafia.

I had a wonderful surprise with the lovely good-bye article in the South London Press. John O’Farrell, our terrific Chair of Governors, was typically generous in what he had to say about my time at the school. However it has been the wonderful group of staff  I work with at the Academy which has made us one of the most improved schools in the country this year.

Many people have asked me what I intend to do after January. I hope to be helping train a new generation of headteachers. I was proud to become an Associate of the Institute of Education this month and will be lecturing on a Masters course in Education, involving some of the great young teachers in South London. However the main thing I want to do is to spend more time with my family. This is what politicians say when they resign in disgrace from Parliament, but in my case it is absolutely true! As teachers we all have to be aware that sometimes work life balance gets skewed towards work, but my main advice for anyone is that “family comes first”. Now it is payback time.

What of the future of education? I have the greatest confidence in schools safeguarding the values of social justice and inclusion which have guided everything I have tried to achieve. There will always be inspirational young teachers who aspire to be part of the noblest profession. I wish them and you all the very best for the future.

Stephen Potter
Principal