New Henley headteacher outlines vision for the future

The new headteacher of Henley School spoke to the Herald last week, outlining his ambition for the school to become outstanding.

Mark Wilson, a former semi-professional rugby player for Worcester Warriors, welcomed Henley’s 669 students back as headteacher month.

He comes the Henley from Lode Heath School in Solihul, another school within the Arden Multi-Academy Trust, where he served as headteacher for five years.

Mr Wilson said: “I worked with Henley School prior to becoming headteacher, through the Trust, it is obviously a good school, with a great specialism in performing arts and it has had some very successful results last year in Progress 8.

“It’s a strange time to be taking over as headteacher, but the quality of remote learning offered by Henley since March/April time has been very good. For us now it’s about welcoming back staff and children back, providing a covid-safe environment and supporting their mental wellbeing.

“One of my key focusses is looking at the transition from Key Stage 2, so building a strong relationship with our primary feeder schools is very important, it allows us to know exactly where children are with their learning when they join us. Teamwork is already very strong at Henley and there is a fantastic work ethic, I’m currently meeting every member of staff, I’ve had a chat with 50 out of 87 so far.

“Being part of a multi-academy trust is really helpful to Henley, it allows us to make changes quickly when needed and we get that support from the other schools to make those changes. We couldn’t do that as a standalone academy. I would also say that from what I have seen at Henley so far the children are delightful.

“Ultimately we want to be on a journey to becoming an outstanding school and we want to personalise learning for our children, to give them the opportunity to achieve the best outcomes and nurture their aspirations.”