John Taylor Free School

Let's just take the next step

20 Mar 2020

As a headteacher, there are times when you are faced with challenges.  Sometimes it is about a lesson that hasn’t worked out, a set of examination results that weren’t as expected or...

We have saved you a seat...

07 Feb 2020

We have started our new recruitment round at JTFS and as I have written before, I always find it an interesting and exciting part of being a Head. The privilege of talking about the school, the commu...

365 Opportunities

14 Jan 2020

My assemblies last week were based on the theme of a new year bringing 365 new opportunities to make a difference. I was hoping to inspire the students to see this new term, new year and new decade as...

The end of an amazing first year at JTFS...what a whirlwind!

19 Jul 2019

I am sure that the clocks at JTFS go faster than in any other school!  It really doesn’t seem 5 minutes since we were preparing the building to open and now we are preparing for the last fe...

It's all change for us at JTFS

01 Jul 2019

As we plan for our final few weeks of our first year of operation at John Taylor Free School, we are conscious of the changes that lie in store for our students, their families and also our staff. W...

"Curriculum - building a love of learning with strong foundations"

30 May 2019

"It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; it's the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time" David Allen Coe We are often complimented on the beauty of...

The Power of the Team

11 Mar 2019

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." Henry Ford This is the quote I used when on interview for my job as Head of School. It is one that...

Introducing a new member of the John Taylor Free School team

30 Jan 2019

This week we welcomed Pluto to the team. He is a 5 month old Labrador who is undergoing training as a school dog. We have been considering having a dog at John Taylor Free School for quite some time....

100 Days

06 Dec 2018

Often in leadership development training, the facilitator will ask the question; “’what will you achieve in your first 100 days and how do you know you have made an impact?” Thi...

8 weeks gone in record time!

26 Oct 2018

The last 8 weeks have been the fastest 8 weeks ever.  We opened our gates on 5th September to a large group of students who couldn’t wait to be the first through the gate and what an exciti...

National Young Mathematician's Award

24 Oct 2018

  The National Young Mathematician's Award aims to inspire the next generation of mathematicians. Teams from schools across the UK have the unique opportunity to tackle a never-before-seen mat...

#ilovemyjob

07 Oct 2018

It has been an incredible week.  We have hosted a Royal visit and the National WomenEd Unconference in the same week – quite a lot to pack in but I have never felt so proud of my job and pl...

John Taylor Free School is Officially Open!

06 Oct 2018

Staffordshire’s first brand new high school for nearly 30 years has held its official opening. His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO was present to cut the ribbon on the new £...

The Opening Week of John Taylor Free School

07 Sep 2018

“Success has always been easy to measure, it is the distance between one’s origins and one’s final achievement”   The team of staff and students at John Taylor Free...

2 weeks to go!

23 Aug 2018

A year ago this week, I saw an advert for Head of School, John Taylor Free School. The role it described was my dream job. A forward thinking Multi-Academy Trust with a Teaching School, a brand new b...

New Beginnings

17 Jul 2018

The last week of term is finally upon us. For myself and my 11-year-old daughter it is a week full of mixed emotions.Back in April, I wrote about transition but now that it is finally here, it seems m...

Coaching for Excellence

19 Jun 2018

Coaching has been a valid tool for improving performance in sport, business and industry for many years and on Friday I attended a National Coaching Conference where 200 repr...

Have you earned your Stripes?

06 Jun 2018

We have had a very exciting week with the new staff induction and a “getting to know you evening” for students and parents. Throughout these events, I have been explaining to the new commu...

The Challenge and Opportunity of Recruiting Staff to a Brand New School