New Headteacher is ‘Going for Gold’

‘Education is the passport to life’. It sounds so simple when it is put like that but then, it really is that simple.

Education opens more doors to more opportunities than just about anything else we can achieve.

That simple but eloquent explanation does not just define education, it also defines the new Headteacher of Parklands, Mrs Yvonne Sharples, who is passionate about unlocking the potential of her pupils and giving them ‘the education they are entitled to in the school they deserve’.

“Sure, it will be tough,” said Mrs Sharples. “There is a lot to do but I will be working with my team to build on the achievements made by Mr Smithies and the local community, who have worked together so effectively in the past to lay such strong foundations.”

Building on those foundations is the key – building for success, building for the future and building for the whole community.

Mrs Sharples’ focus is on learning and teaching; that includes developing leadership, giving the students a real voice, learning from the community and, perhaps most importantly, raising expectations alongside aspirations.

“We all need to work together – not just the staff and pupils here at Parklands but the whole community – to ensure we give our young people access to the opportunities they are entitled to,” said Mrs Sharples. “I believe in the power of education and I believe that satisfactory is not good enough; only the best will do. That is the focus of our Going for Gold programme.”

If this aim sounds ambitious, that is because it is. However, Mrs Sharples believes that the pupils of Parklands can be the best – she ought to know because she has a history of turning around the fortunes of schools and nurturing pupils to achieve their full potential.

One of the keys to this track record is bringing schools and communities closer together to boost success.

“I think it started when I was a schoolgirl in what is now Stockbridge Village,” said Mrs Sharples. “Education played such a big part in the lives of local families and we really benefited from that.

“Everyone is entitled to the highest standard of education but only when everyone is involved, when they believe in themselves and in one another, can this really be achieved.”

Mrs Sharples cultivated this approach to teaching early in her career and refined it when she became one of the country’s 10 National College for School Leadership Associate Headteachers.

Since then, Mrs Sharples has driven the idea that the local community can have a major influence on the strategic direction education takes and a huge impact on its success.

Early in her career, Mrs Sharples held posts that included Head of Community Engagement alongside senior leadership roles. In Knowsley, she managed three Community City Learning Centres, the borough’s Gifted and Talented and Aim Higher programmes as well as acting as headteacher.

She said: “I learnt early on that forging strong links with the community would foster a truly holistic approach to education; parents want what is best for their children so giving them a voice is the first step but the wider community is a stakeholder too, a school can really be the heart of a community.”

This is a philosophy that Mrs Sharples took to St Michael’s in Sefton, where working with local people helped drive the number of pupils with five or more A*-C passes up to 71 per cent from 32 per cent.

In fact, by 2008, St Michael’s was the eighth most improved school in the country. Just a few weeks ago OFSTED acknowledged the tremendous progress that had been made and judged it a ‘good school with outstanding features’.

It is this approach that Mrs Sharples brings to Parklands and she has already started to launch a series of initiatives and research projects to really get under the skin of what you want from your local school.

“I could not wait for the OFSTED inspectors to visit us recently,” she said. “I felt so confident that we would be out of Special Measures and I’m delighted to say I was right! We are now on our way to achieving something really great together.”

Trust status has played a part in this; Parklands was Liverpool’s first National Challenge Trust School, which means it is supported in its aim of driving up standards by educational, academic, local government and corporate partners.

Already benefiting from collaboration with award-winning financial institution Royal Liver Assurance, the world-renowned University of Liverpool, Liverpool City Council and the 302-year-old Blue Coat School, Parklands has a bright future ahead of it.

“Successful educational achievement is based entirely on a partnership approach,” said Mrs Sharples. “Just as vital as community partnerships are the relationships we forge with prestigious and industry leading partners.

“These partnerships help to broaden our pupils’ horizons and create opportunities for both pupils and staff to gain experience and insights from experts. They add so much value and open our eyes to new perspectives and approaches to achieving success.”

Mrs Sharples believes that partnerships with the local community and industry leaders play a key role in raising the aspirations of young people. “With positive role models around them and experience of life after education, our pupils will not just get a taste of adult life, they will see that they can compete for the best jobs and opportunities on a level footing with their peers,” she said.

“Even during these challenging economic conditions, there are still fantastic opportunities out there – in this great city and beyond – for our pupils. I know the young people of Parklands have what it takes to compete with the very best and now it is up to us to give them the school they deserve so they can capitalise on it.”

Mrs Sharples’ vision sees Parklands at the heart of the community, providing education of the highest standard.

“I see children, often early in the morning, making their way to bus stops and travelling to schools outside the area,” she said. “I understand that; parents want the best for their children so they send them to other schools.

“However, Parklands has changed and we will continue to do so until we can say ‘we are the best’ – and I have set myself a tight deadline for this. It means a lot to me to be able to deliver the education that the community is entitled to and one of my goals is to make Parklands the first choice for local people.

“Children should not have to be packed off to other schools, they should have the option of top quality local education – and imagine what this will do for the community, as we become a vibrant exemplar of excellence.”

This emphasis on community engagement is not an entirely new direction for Parklands but it is being stepped up in order to create a host of new possibilities.

One such possibility, Mrs Sharples explained, is becoming a Specialist School. “We are exploring this very seriously,” she said. “Deciding on the specialism will involve a good deal of consultation with the community and we have to get it right.”

Rebuilding confidence in Parklands is a key priority for Mrs Sharples and her team, who are already seeing some good results.

“I have already spoken to a number of local people and organisations, including our outstanding primary schools,” said Mrs Sharples. “The response we have received has been fantastic. This community wants to engage and it wants to drive change.

“The people here are so passionate and so giving; they have a great deal of insight and are willing to share it. This has given me a real boost and has allowed me to get under the skin of the issues that affect us incredibly quickly.”

The attitude and approach of local people is a good fit with Mrs Sharples’ strategic agenda. She said: “Parklands will continue to be the focus for engagement and I will ensure a holistic approach to education becomes more cohesive and really adds value to the community.

Ultimately, this will ensure the young people of Parklands have the education they are entitled to and the community of Speke grows and develops in line with the opportunities that the young people take.”

Yvonne Sharples

Headteacher