Local residents may have already met the new Fairfax Academy Principal – because during the summer Sean Castle, who took over at the respected secondary school in September, hit the streets to introduce himself.
“Myself and my daughters went round the community,” he said, “During the summer we posted 1500 postcards through doors and met lots of people, because I wanted to let local residents know that this is their school and that I want to work with them.
“Fairfax is at the heart of the communities it serves, and my expectation of our students is that they are respectful and kind not just inside the school but when they are out and about too. I want the local community to know that.”
Sean, who lives with wife Kirsty and their two young daughters in Walmley, considers himself a part of that community.
“We moved to Sutton ten years ago, and the quality of the schools was a big factor in that decision,” he said. “I feel very lucky to be Principal at Fairfax, because this is the secondary school, I want my girls to come to.
“Sutton is blessed to have a genuinely collaborative school community. All of the schools work together to share ideas and support each other, because ultimately, we all want the best for the children.
“That has been one of my priorities during my first term – meeting other secondary heads and primary heads to build relationships and get to know people, because you never know when you’re going to need each other. Those relationships are key.”
Originally from the mining village of South Elmsall in West Yorkshire, Sean was appointed to lead Fairfax after rising to Deputy Headteacher at Stockland Green School in Erdington, where he played a significant part in turning the school’s fortunes around.
“I joined Stockland Green in September 2013, two months before the school was placed into special measures,” he said.
“It was the start of long journey for the team at the school, which meant a lot of work to make things better for the children and the community. We were fortunate to have a committed and united staff body who took Stockland Green from Special Measures to where it is now, on the cusp of rated Outstanding.
“It taught me about resilience and having the determination to make improvements, as well as the importance of working as a team, with the community.”
Now 37-year-old Sean, as the new Fairfax Academy Principal, is relishing the opportunity to build on the school’s existing reputation.
“The thing that drew me to Fairfax was its tradition and legacy,” he said.
“The leaders that have been at Fairfax and the school’s history speaks for itself. I knew of Fairfax even before I was living here, because of its reputation through its Eisteddfod and its extracurricular activities.
“I want to build on that reputation as a happy and productive school, to drive it to be even better.
“That doesn’t mean looking at an Ofsted handbook and saying ‘this is how we are going to be outstanding’ – it’s about making the 1 per cent gains every day so that we can be the better people, better teachers and better students.”
New Fairfax Academy Principal believes in ARKS values
Fairfax’s ARKS values – Be Ambitious, Be Respectful, Be Kind and Be Safe – will play a key part in the culture Sean wants to encourage.
He said: “The ARKS values mean we are Ambitious for ourselves and each other, we’re Respectful to each other and Kind, and through that we a have Safe community where staff and students are happy together.
“If you go to any outstanding school in the country, you will find that behavioural values like that are the foundation of their success.
“We have a fantastic student body, and a remarkable, dedicated team – and I’m proud to be the Principal of a such a brilliant school,”
– SEAN CASTLE
“My ultimate goal is to make this school the best it can be, as happy as it can be, for parents to want to send their children here and for children to want to be here.”
The school has recently been inviting parents to coffee mornings, where Sean is available to answer questions, and he has also been using twitter to post regular videos giving updates on life at Fairfax.
However, one thing the new Principal won’t be changing is the Fairfax culture of creativity and competition, with the famous annual eisteddfod still the biggest date on the school’s calendar.
“As my grandad would say, ‘I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole!” he laughed.
“I feel blessed that I don’t need to do anything with that side of the school because it just takes care of itself. Year on year, the eisteddfod is such a huge success – the kids are preparing for it already, right now.
“The same goes for the house system and culture at Fairfax, which is brilliant. The ethos and pride that students take in their houses is already there, so I feel very lucky that I don’t need to touch that aspect of school life. I’m in awe of it, really.”
However, he is also aware of some areas that he wants to improve.
He said: “I think we need to build on the strengths that are already here, with some curriculum improvements.
“I’m also not going to hide the fact that we need to address some aspects of behavioural culture.
“Some behaviour isn’t where I would expect it to be. My standards are very high and there is a small proportion of students who are not toeing the line, and ultimately, they need to do so.
“Otherwise, Fairfax isn’t the right place for them. To put it simply, if I’ve got 20-25 students out of 1600 that are disrupting the learning of everybody else then we have to focus on the students who want to learn.
“My standards will always be that high in terms of expectations, so it’s how we work with the students to enable them to improve their behaviour, to provide them with the mentoring, guidance and support they need to be successful.”
Right now, though, the new Principal says he is immersing himself in the culture of Fairfax Academy, and he likes what he sees.
“I’m taking in that Fairfax culture, by going to watch the sports teams, looking in on eisteddfod rehearsals and being a Principal who’s out there, getting involved.
“We have a fantastic student body, and a remarkable, dedicated team – and I’m proud to be the Principal of a such a brilliant school.”