Name

Lucy How

School

Thriplow Primary School

When did you become headteacher at the school?

I was appointed as Headteacher at Thriplow on January 1, 2023.

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

I am in a unique position having worked at Thriplow since I was a newly qualified teacher. I started teaching in 2004, having trained as an Early Years Specialist.

During my time at Thriplow, I have had different roles and responsibilities. I have been subject lead for Religious Education and Music for most of my career as well as Collective Worship lead. I have also taken responsibility for assessment and been a staff governor.

Since our school joined DEMAT at the end of 2017, I have really benefitted from the opportunity to share good practice with others and to work collaboratively with colleagues across the Trust. I became Assistant Headteacher in March 2020 and really relished the challenge of helping to steer the school through the pandemic. The opportunity to apply for the Headship at Thriplow arose in Autumn 2022 and I was delighted to be successful at interview.
 

What do you think makes your school stand out?

Thriplow is a small village school at the very heart of a thriving village community. Visitors to our school always comment on the warm family feel. The staff at Thriplow are all committed to making sure the children receive the very best education we can give.

As a staff, we are all constantly learning from each other, working as a team rather than individuals. The school has close links with St George’s Church in Thriplow, and we not only feel part of the village community, but part of the church community as well.

Our big community event, the Thriplow Daffodil Festival, draws thousands of people each spring and the school is very much part of this community event.

Our school vision focuses on ‘Shining our Light’ – something that I believe every child and every adult can do every day in different ways.
 

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

As a new Headteacher, I am very excited to make my mark on Thriplow and build on the amazing things that have already happened here in recent years. I plan to build on the success we have had developing our subject leadership, building links with subject leaders from other schools and developing teachers into subject leadership roles.

I am keen to continue strengthening our place in the community and giving children excellent extra-curricular opportunities.

I want to facilitate high-quality professional development opportunities for staff to ensure that everyone knows they are valued and that the part they play is important to ensuring that children at Thriplow receive an exceptional education.
 
What’s been the highlight of your teaching career to date?

It’s really hard to pinpoint just one highlight! There have been many along the way. The beauty of working in schools is that there are wonderful moments each and every day.

I think an obvious highlight of my career so far would have to be when I became Headteacher. To be appointed to such a role in a school I already know and love is a great honour. 

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

A very tough question! I have a real passion for picture books and have many, many favourite authors such as Shirley Hughes and Judith Kerr. I also love The Chronicles of Narnia and have read each book many times! If I had to choose a favourite of these, it would probably be The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I love the message of hope in the book.

A book which I have loved in recent years, which could arguably be for children or adults is The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse.

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

I used to be a semi-professional classical singer which was a lot of fun but difficult to combine with a career in teaching!