Mr S Addison

I feel like I have had a really encouraging start as a teacher of History at Hayes School. All of the staff at the school have been naturally welcoming and the positive attitude of the students has made it motivating and inspiring.

I first visited the school a couple of years ago to take part in a Bromley schools’ networking event to discuss and problem-solve issues arising from the new A-Level specifications. I was struck then at how the school displays reflected the Hayes ethos in celebrating students’ achievements and it seemed like an extremely positive and rewarding place in which to work. Later, when I toured the school as part of an interview, this was confirmed as the students I spoke to showed a great level of pride in their school and in their work. This, combined with the organisation and effective set up of whole-school procedures, makes Hayes School both a fulfilling and straight forward place at which to work, allowing teachers to focus on teaching and learning.

In fact, since starting at Hayes, it has been clear that Teaching and Learning is at the very heart of everything at the school. I feel very supported here at Hayes, especially in developing teaching and learning practice. Regular CPD sessions are targeted and driven by the needs of the individual. A whole school Lesson Study programme helps to ensure that teachers are constantly striving to develop their practice in the best interests of the students. This results in an extremely collaborative and reflective work environment in which the main beneficiaries are the students, but with clear benefits for workload and development of teachers, as well.

The students at Hayes are an absolute joy to work with. Working with children will always be an enjoyable experience, but working with students that are proactive, marvellously polite, well-mannered, and with high goals, is a really exceptional experience.