Manningtree Life Jan '24 Layout v6 - Flipbook - Page 24
MANNINGTREE LIFE
LOCAL SCHOOL SHOWCASE
Q&A with the Head
of Woodbridge School
– Shona Norman
Tell us a little about yourself
- How did you become
Headteacher?
I started at Woodbridge
School as an English
teacher then worked
through different roles:
from Housemistress
through to Senior Deputy
until I became Head in
January 2020.
Like the students,
I am a product of the superb
education and development that Woodbridge
provides, as just over five years ago the school
supported my decision to return to University
of Cambridge to complete my Masters in
Educational Leadership and School Improvement.
Are you from the local area?
Although I am not from the county, I am still from
the region as I was brought up in Cambridgeshire
and Norfolk. However, I have lived for the longest in
Suffolk so consider Woodbridge now as my home.
What are your favourite things about being a
headteacher?
As we are a through School from ages 4 to 18,
I get to see our students develop and be part of
shaping the individual pathways that they take.
No student is the same, and each will find
their passion and voice at different ages,
so it is a genuine delight to see what area
of school life acts as the catalyst for this to
occur. Working within a school environment,
I am also surrounded by staff, both teaching
and non-teaching, who are committed to
developing young people. One cannot help but
be inspired by having this as your own working
environment.
What makes Woodbridge School different
from other local independent schools?
Ethos. Woodbridge School is over four hundred
years old. It was founded with the mission
to ensure every student used the excellent
education that they received to give back to
their community, and this remains the case
today. Our students are able to empathise,
collaborate, debate and recognise the
contribution that each of them can make to
the wider world.
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