Education News
Westminster Record | February 2014
The Teacher: Children Growing in the Garden Headteacher Helen Tyler talks about her life at St Joseph’s Primary School in Covent Garden and how she seeks to meet the needs of all pupils.
I
came to St Joseph’s just over six years ago. It is my second headship following a period working in School Improvement for Camden. Having qualified as a scientist I worked in the City before becoming a teacher. What attracted me initially and what drives me today is the possibility that my life’s work will change people’s lives. The most disadvantaged children in society need the very best schools and my vocation lies in making St Joseph’s an exceptional school and having a wider impact on schools nationally through outreach work. As a headteacher of a Catholic school I take very seriously the call to excellence; placing Christ at the centre of our education so that the children can grow in their understanding of God. It is a vocation and a very humbling and privileged position to be in. People ask me what distinguishes us as a Catholic school. It’s not something that is measurable in the way that attainment and progress are. We are committed to every member of our community flourishing and we embrace social justice because of our understanding of God from the Bible. You cannot love others until
you have understood that you are loved by God; this is reflected in all aspects of our school’s work.
“There are regular knocks on my office door from children wanting to share their personal triumphs.” The work of the school can encompass anything from outstanding teaching and learning in the classrooms to lawyers reading with children 1:1 in the corridors; from Year 6 attending a debate on Malala day at the Economist offices to the choir singing Emelie Sande’s ‘Read all about it’. It certainly is varied and there are regular knocks on my office door from children wanting to share their personal triumphs. It is a privilege and pleasure to witness God in their happiness. In terms of our teaching staff, I see them swell with pride not only in the children’s successes and achievements, but also that of their colleagues. We don’t talk about national expectations, we talk about ‘necessary’ progress that a child needs to make to ensure that they leave us with at least a Level 4a in order to be able to
fully access the secondary curriculum. At St Joseph’s we have exceptionally high attainment and value added scores for all of our children, including the most disadvantaged or those with SEN/D. High quality teaching is critical to ensure this happens so consequently we invest heavily in highly effective staff training. We are unashamedly relentless in our ambition! St Joseph’s is in a great location in Covent Garden. Learning is closely linked to the world the children live in – starting with the community they inhabit in the very heart of London; a city that has been home to some of greatest writers, artists, musicians and architects the world has known. Great artefacts of world history are housed in the museums that surround us. The National Gallery and the British Museum are moments from our school, as are the Royal Courts of Justice and National Archives. All other London museums and resources are within the possibility of an easy day trip. Our school is also surrounded by universities, the offices of huge multi-
Helen Tyler is Headteacher of St Joseph’s Primary School, Covent Garden.
national corporations, law firms and the media world. These play a big part in the children’s learning. Children regularly access all levels of the world around them. We hope this stirs a belief among them that they can interact with this world, and that the door to it is very much wide open. As a Catholic School we are led by values of charity, peace and loving our neighbours. We have a very active school council which leads the whole school family in initiatives to improve school life, promote fundraising activities and participate in local debates. The school gives a significant amount of money, raised by the children, to a
range of charitable causes each year. As stewards of God’s creation, the children learn about their role as a global citizen and how they can protect endangered wildlife and environments, tackle climate change and promote sustainable use of resources through the school’s support of the World Wildlife Fund. I am a huge animal lover and this passion is reflected in our curriculum. Through their time at St Joseph’s a child will learn about the threats posed to the future of our earth by learning about endangered species. Each class is named after an animal which they have adopted and fundraise for annually.
News in Brief St Anne’s School in Enfield organised a Christmas Bazaar to support the Philippines Typhoon appeal. They raised £4,000 in the process to help rebuild the areas affected by the devastation brought by typhoon Haiyan last year.
A pupil from St Joseph’s Primary School in Covent Garden shows the fun side of learning
Follow us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/diocese.westminster
Follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/RCWestminster
Cathy Corcoran OBE, Chief Executive of the Cardinal Hume Centre, was awarded an honorary doctorate from Heythrop College on 2 December, in recognition of her work on behalf of the Church for those most in need. Speaking of the award Cathy said: “I’m delighted to be associated with a great place of learning, both academic and human.” Page 7