19 April
New Aurora Beeches head has high expectations
Having successfully climbed Mount Everest 10 years ago, the new Head of School at Aurora Beeches School, Hayley Betteridge, says she now has high expectations of a different kind.
The only ‘high expectations’ that matter to her now are those that relate to Beeches school.
Hayley said. “We maintain strong expectations, not just among our pupils, but also of each other and ourselves. We expect the staff to role model high expectations of self and others to our pupils.”
“Just because our learners attend a specialist school, it doesn't mean they can’t have high aspirations and achieve”
Hayley, who has a passion for mountaineering, studied to be a teacher at Brunel University. She also spent some time in North Wales, gaining outdoor education qualifications at the National Mountaineering Centre. However, despite frequent visits and holidays to the mountains in the UK and further afield, Hayley began her teaching career in the South East, as a PE teacher in Buckinghamshire.
From there, she moved into the independent sector and worked at several boarding schools, firstly in Buckinghamshire, then Hampshire, before taking a short period of time out, which included planning to climb Everest. “I had an overwhelming drive to embark on an expedition of a lifetime – one which is still difficult to verbalise,” she said.
“I have some incredible memories which will forever be etched in my heart and mind – words don’t do them justice. Whilst I needed to achieve the metaphoric and physical peak myself, I also wanted to achieve many things on this journey for others. To raise significant monies for a charity very close to my heart but also support the relief efforts in Kathmandu following the devastating earthquake in Kathmandu in April 2015.
“For a variety of reasons, I was told by various people that I couldn’t do it,” said Hayley, “but this only spurred me on to want it more.”
“It was 2016,” she said. “I went and supported children who had been orphaned, left homeless and without the essential provisions they needed following the earthquake. It was an expedition of two halves which required physical strength, mental toughness and emotional stamina.”
On returning to the UK, Hayley was ready for a new challenge. Whilst working in a comprehensive secondary mainstream school, she was given the opportunity to complete the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) qualification alongside teaching PE and maths.
“It was the year that made me, if I'm honest,” said Hayley.
“I'd got the whole climbing and relief expedition out of my system, and I felt ready for a new challenge. Whilst training as a SENCO, I realised this was the area of education I really wanted to pursue in order to help others achieve their dreams and aspirations.
“It felt like it was meant to be,” she said.
“I absolutely flourished and thrived in my new role despite working in a challenging mainstream school with a significantly high number of SEND pupils.”
Hayley said she was able to put in place practices, strategies and facilities at the school that put inclusion at the centre of everything the school was about. “We transformed the narrative around that, and what inclusion meant - the lived experience - of learners with SEND, both for young people with and without EHCPs,” she said.
Hayley is now three months into her new career challenge, settling in as Head of School at Beeches.
“I’ve found the transition from a mainstream school to a specialist school very interesting. The pace is very different for a start. The size is very different too. The offer young people have at Beeches is more personal, more individualised and therapeutic. We’re also spoilt in that you’d normally have to wait 18 months to see some of the expert specialists that we have on site within the therapy team. I am so grateful for their support and input in helping our learners be the best version of themselves,” she said.
Hayley also paid tribute to the teaching staff at Beeches.
“I’m extremely lucky that I have walked into a role where I’ve got exceptional subject-matter experts who are hugely experienced and committed to their job. It’s clear to me they know our pupils and have a fantastic rapport with them.”
This means that Hayley can concentrate on establishing herself as an effective leader and ensuring her team feel happy, valued and are working together effectively to deliver a vision for the school.
“I want my team to feel comfortable trying new things, I want them to be hungry for more and willing to step outside of their comfort zone to achieve great things. We always need to be thinking what next? Where do we want to be?
“If we can help our students to be confident, happy, well-rounded young people who know that they can achieve and contribute to society, then that would be a fantastic outcome for us all.
“We need to inspire and teach our pupils to be aspirational in the areas that interest them most, whether that’s being a photographer, working in hospitality – or even climbing Mount Everest!”
