My name is Matt Jones and I'm the headteacher here at Lowdham CofE Primary School in Nottinghamshire.
I always felt a calling towards education and particularly working with younger primary-age children.
So I qualified in 2010 and I left sort of my home area where I grew up and moved down to London. And I started a career in a fantastic one-form entry Church of England primary school in Islington.
And I established myself at that school, and from a newly qualified teacher, NQT as it was referred to then, I was there for 13 years. And then within my fifth year of teaching, I was still year six teacher, still in class four days a week. But I'd been taken on as the new deputy headteacher of the school.
Was a deputy up until the point, two years ago, when I left to move to Nottinghamshire to embark on my own journey into headship.
So I absolutely love my job. It's a privilege to be the headteacher here at Lowdham School.
The complexities of headship require many different skills and attributes. But I say the most valuable skill I place on my role is interpersonal skills and being able to relate to people and helping. Whether it's parents who may feel a certain way about a certain situation, that they feel listened to and valued.
The children, of course, come at the forefront of every decision we make as a school leadership team. But the staff as well.
So I place a huge value on supporting my staff and empowering them, making them feel valued. Class teachers, you know, you're on the front line every day with those amazing children. Whereas when you step into a leadership position, you have that whole school overview but make it your own.
So make those conscious decisions within your working week to connect back with the children as much as possible, and to be yourself and let your personality shine within your leadership role. The same way you will allow your personality to shine with those children in the classroom every day.