Teaching is my passion, now more than ever...

Meet Sherryl Bareham, headteacher at The Dorcan Academy as she shares, at one of the most challenging times for schools, teachers, students and parents - her inspiration for becoming a teacher.

I am the Headteacher of a secondary school with 800 students. No two days are the same which is what makes my job so interesting and the best job in the world! My core business is teaching and learning, ensuring all students get the best education possible. I am passionate about ensuring our students can access the same opportunities offered by the private sector, without paying for it! At The Dorcan Academy, we educate the whole child and who you become is as important as what you achieve. 

I never set out to be a headteacher but each time I felt that I had done as much as I could do in my current position, I moved up to the next step. When I got to deputy head I momentarily became disenfranchised with the education system and the way things were going, and almost gave up teaching, however, instead I decided to lead my own school based on the values that I hold dear; two of which are honesty and integrity. 

Having the ability to make decisions that make a difference to the life chances of children is extremely rewarding. I also wanted to prove that it was possible to have a great school while treating people well and valuing people. 

At The Dorcan Academy our vision is to be an outstanding school of first choice at the heart of our local community. ‘Outstanding’ because no business ever becomes great by aiming for 'good' and also, I am aiming for us to ‘stand out’ in every way; in the quality of our teaching, in our pastoral care, in our leadership, in our development of students and in the opportunities we provide. 

I don’t look up to or try to emulate anyone apart from Jesus! I admire those who choose to work with the most disadvantaged in society, and who care enough to go above and beyond to do what is necessary to help them. I also admire those who are true to their values and are prepared to stand up for them even if they suffer loss. These are the type of staff I aim to employ. 

Looking back, there is nothing that I would have done differently. I always wanted to be a teacher. I studied at the Royal College of Music, so I probably should have ended up being a concert pianist but that wasn’t my passion. I began teaching music at the start of my career and I loved it. I loved getting ordinary children to do extraordinary things. 

One of the highlights of my early career was when my school choir auditioned successfully for ‘Joseph and his amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ at the London Palladium and performed alongside Jason Donovan and Phillip Schofield for 13 weeks. A couple of my students ended up in West end roles following this. 

Further into my career I took up a consultancy and teaching post where I had to go into schools that were in Special Measures; this was when I made the decision that I wanted to live a significant life and not necessarily an easy one!  I made up my mind that I was going to work with disadvantaged students – because not everyone can – and this conscious decision shaped my career. 

I spent the next few years teaching in schools in Special Measures and helping to improve them to good and outstanding. I have loved all the teaching jobs I have done though they have not all been easy. When challenges have come, looking back I can see that each one has helped to prepare me for the next step in my career. 

Going through difficult times helped me to develop the resilience I need every day as a headteacher. It’s one of those jobs where you can’t please all the people all the time! You have to just stick to what you believe, do your best and every day aim to be better than the day before. 

I believe in a ‘servant’ style of leadership. I expect my senior team to serve our staff, enabling them to be able to fulfil their roles to the best of their ability and modelling our vision and values on a daily basis. When I first became headteacher I felt a bit of a fraud because I felt like I was playing a role of what others expected to see that wasn’t really me. However, now I have realised that there is no set way to be and that I will just be myself – even if I am the only headteacher like it! Some have described me as ‘bonkers’ but I’ll take that!! 

To someone starting out I would say teaching is the best job in the world if you want to make a difference.  Your true impact will never really be able to be measured but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t significant. Don’t take yourself too seriously and don’t beat yourself up if you have a bad day – accept that you’re not perfect - it would be miserable if you were. Keep going – don’t give up when the going gets tough. It is in the hard times that the best learning takes place.  

If I had my time all over again I would choose the same pathway. Teaching is what I was born to do. 

For more information about Dorcan Academy visit http://www.dorcan.co.uk