Name

Damon Finney
 

School

Duchy of Lancaster Church of England Primary School

When did you become Headteacher at the school?

I became the permanent Headteacher here in September 2022, a role I was delighted to be able to make my own. I had been acting Head at the school for a period, signing up to take on that challenge on the first day of the Covid lockdown. That was difficult, as it was for the whole of the education community, but it was a period that gave me the chance to really understand some of the needs within the school and to put in place plans for the future.
 

Tell us about your teaching background and how you came to your current position.

I have worked in many different counties such as Norfolk, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. I have worked as a teacher in all year groups over my career, which has been lovely and gives me a really great knowledge basis now as a Headteacher. I’ve been part of leadership teams for both small and large schools which is useful too as there are so many different ways of doing things and all settings can learn from each other. I came to DEMAT at a great time in my career, when I was looking for a fresh challenge. The opportunity was the next step I was looking for and I am thoroughly enjoying being Headteacher at this fantastic school. I found that the ethos and values of the trust aligned with my own and it was a very good fit.

What do you think makes your school stand out?

The children. They are amazing, caring and everyone looks out for each other. Children from all year groups play with each other. They are full of smiles and kindness. Along side that, it’s the community surrounding us that helps us to thrive. During Covid, I got to know so many members of the community and the children’s families. I got a real insight into their lives and their needs and although it was an incredibly challenging time, it helped me to see why this is such a special school and what we can achieve when we pull together.
 

What are your plans for the school? How have you/will you make your mark?

I’m here to make sure that one hundred percent of the children in our school achieve academic success and flourish. No one is to be left behind and it’s important to me that our pupils feel that and are impacted by the ambition. I’m pleased that our children regularly say that school is fun because they are learning amazing knowledge.
 

Tell us something about yourself that your staff and pupils might not know.

I am a marathon runner and have run around 15 marathons and two ultra marathons. The longest was a challenging 49 miles from Thetford to Holme-next-to-the-Sea – the length of the Peddars Way. Being a marathon runner has taught me a lot – mainly that difficult things do come to an end! It’s helped me develop mental strength and the ability to ‘dig deep’.
 

What’s been the highlight of your teaching career to date?

Becoming a teacher has been my biggest achievement and the highlight, when I look back, is the journey to the where I am now. I feel I’ve had such a range of experiences and learnt so much, helping me to have the knowledge I need to bring out the best in my team and the pupils we serve.
 

Reading is obviously a core focus for children. What’s your favourite children’s book and why?

Swallow and Amazons – I love this book because of the sense of childhood adventure and joy. It always makes me want to grab supplies and go off into the wild on an adventure where we let our imagination run wild.

Reading is a strength of our school and the basis of everything. I am very proud of the texts our children seek out and engage with as they are often unexpected – such as Shakespeare and Dickens stories which really push them to develop their reading and writing skills.