The ‘thrilled’ new leadership team at Lichfield’s Scotch Orchard Primary are reaching out the community to help shape the school’s future, after launching an ambitious new curriculum.
Under the guidance of their new Scotch Orchard Head of School James Chapman and Assistant Head Alfie Eke, the Lichfield school, which is part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP), is plotting an ambitious path for its future.
James, aged 31, joined Scotch Orchard in September 2022 as a Year 6 teacher. He became Assistant Headteacher in June 2023, and has now been confirmed as permanent Head of School after serving as in an acting position since April this year.
He said: “I am delighted to officially be Head of School at Scotch Orchard. I have worked at three amazing schools in my career, one small school in Worcestershire and I have worked at another Staffordshire Primary. All three of these schools have provided me with the motivation I now have to drive change for these wonderful children and their families.”
Alfie, aged 28, joined the school in April 2025, and immediately received a warm and enthusiastic welcome from parents, staff and pupils alike.
He said: “We’ve got such an amazing team and community. It feels like a privilege to be able to sit in this chair and drive the school at such a pivotal and exciting point.”
James’ first move as Head was to embrace the local community and invite families to take a more active role in deciding Scotch Orchard’s policies going forward.
He said: “The thing everyone notices when they visit Scotch Orchard is that our school is at the heart of a community that really cares and wants to be involved.
“The first thing I did since becoming acting Head was work on enabling our community connection to flourish even further. We opened the school to parents more regularly, and got them involved in things like our attendance and behaviour strategies. Their feedback has been absolutely vital.
“We get lots of positive praise from parents, but we also encourage them to challenge us and bring their concerns to us. Come and tell us what’s not working for your child and we’ll put it right.”
Alfie added: “We’ve conducted a lot of surveys with parents and the common theme was that they could tell the teachers really care. We had more than 95% of parents recommend Scotch Orchard, and they were celebrating how the school has transformed over the last 12 months.”
James’ community initiative has already received results, with a strong bond being formed with the new Stowe Mount Care Home next door and many former pupils from decades gone by reaching out to visit.
James said: “We even had two gentlemen come in to speak to the pupils who were in the first ever class at Scotch Orchard! We brought out boxes of old school photos for them and the children to look through. It’s been really special honouring the school’s past while also paving the way for its future.”
Scotch Orchard has also implemented a new curriculum this October, rooted in the cognitive science of how children learn.
The new curriculum is based on three curriculum drivers: curiosity, aspiration and oracy, which includes speaking, listening, reading and writing.
James said: “The way we’re working with the children has completely changed, and it’s been overwhelmingly positive. ATLP leaders have come in and been really impressed by our ambitious new curriculum and how our journey is progressing.
“We now have a greater focus on critical, core content for each topic so that children can build on their knowledge lesson after lesson, and we revisit these essential points frequently. Our children are so proud of the things they can remember.”
Alfie explained: “Our curriculum now includes a really strong literature spine, which focuses on children seeing themselves and their outside community in the books they read. They approach moral issues and role models with remarkable maturity for their age.
“Even in such a short period of time, we’ve had amazing results. In October we were above national average for Key Stage 2 and our early years data, which was so encouraging.”
But Scotch Orchard’s key to success goes beyond academics and classroom learning. The tight-knit team of staff at the school are dedicated to making the classroom a fun and engaging space, while also supporting children’s development outside of it.
“Our vision as a team leading this school is that we want Scotch Orchard to be an irresistible place for children, for families, for teachers, forever,”
– james chapman,
new Scotch Orchard Head of School
James said: “Our vision as a team leading this school is that we want Scotch Orchard to be an irresistible place for children, for families, for teachers, forever. We want learning to be brought to life in a happy, joyful environment.
“Alfie and I want the children to see that while teachers have high expectations for them, we are also warm, loving, trusting, safe people, and we truly care about them beyond just the classroom.”
Alfie said: “The children here are really special. Every time someone visits the school, we’re inundated with comments on how polite and respectful the children are. They light up the classroom and the corridors!
“We want them to see that learning can be fun and that it’s not just about the curriculum itself – we want them to be well-rounded young people by the time they leave Year 6.”
According to James, support from the wider Arthur Terry Learning Partnership has been vital in setting Scotch Orchard on its new path to success.
He said: “When I first stepped into the role of acting Head, it was in the midst of a difficult situation at the school. I went from being part of a three-person leadership team to taking on the job all by myself.
“The support I received from senior leaders at ATLP is what kept me going. It’s the best job in the world but it’s a hard job, and they were there for me every step of the way.
“The Trust were here regularly for wellbeing checks, workload audits and general support, and I was able to communicate with early years leads from all of the other ATLP schools.
“Without the Trust, I wouldn’t have found Alfie, our brilliant leadership team wouldn’t have been formed and I wouldn’t have been able to bring about the changes we’ve made over the last several months.”
Alfie added: “ATLP give us a brilliant framework to build on, and also the autonomy to make it our own. We take the best bits from the partnership and are encouraged to put our own spin on things, to better fit our children and community.”
Scotch Orchard are looking forward to a bright future of community engagement, academic success and happy children under its new young leadership team.
Aflie said: “I love my job. I wake up every day excited to go to work, spend time with the children and work with James. Of course there are hardships that come with the job, but the children and the community surrounding Scotch Orchard are so brilliant that I always feel motivated to do my best.”
James said: “I’m thrilled to be at the helm of this wonderful school with such a diverse and involved community.
“Alfie and I can’t wait to continue our journey of development for Scotch Orchard and give these wonderful children and their families the learning environment they deserve.”
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