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Matthew Oakes wants a wider role. Photograph: Roy Riley |
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Matthew Oakes is 25 years old and has been teaching for just three years, but already he has a good idea of where he wants to go. He has had a taste of responsibility, and wants more.
“I’ve always been focused on what I want to be,” he says. “The thought of being a head seems far off, but I would love to do it.”
After being head of citizenship at Lipson Community College in Plymouth, Matthew, who is also a music teacher, is now a head of guild – the equivalent of a head of house – with pastoral responsibility for 270 pupils.
He says: “For me, a department head is a bit too narrow. I want to be able to work across the whole school and have more of an overseeing role.”
This sort of ambition will cheer the hearts of those charged with finding the next generation of school leaders, a search made all the more urgent by the looming shortage of headteachers.
Resources:
Leadership
Headships
Future Leaders: Developing leaders for challenging urban schools
Nominations are now open for the Teaching Awards 2008.
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