Stuart, who has been in post for a month, has varied experience in education including being Site Manager at several schools and Operations Manager over a chain of ten.

At KSA he is overseeing vital functions including HR, Finance, IT and Catering to ensure that all departments are working to their optimum and have the training and resources needed. He also plans to strengthen collaborative working both within and between these key areas that underpin the smooth running of the school.

The challenge of starting the new role has been intensified by Covid-19, which has necessitated huge changes to the school’s normal operations but Stuart is looking forward to getting to know staff by spending time in each department so he can understand their roles, strengths and challenges.

He said: ‘I wanted a change and to push myself in a new direction as I always believe you have to do something to the best of your abilities. Anne and Tony really sold me on Kettering Science Academy and having a good working relationship with the Principal is key to this role.

‘So far it has been full-on with new systems coming into place and also the challenges of Covid-19. However the priority is, and always has been, teaching and learning, I am looking forward to helping KSA to evolve. I see everything as a customer service role as we provide a service to our students, staff and teachers.

‘I plan to work in each different department because you need to know what people are talking about and understand their challenges. It is about being hands on, but also having the ability to delegate. I have got a multi-tasking mentality, would do an aspect of everyone else’s job in a heartbeat and would never ask someone to do something I wouldn’t do myself.

‘I am all about making positive changes and making sure we get on with the job in hand, work well together and put systems into place so people have the information and training they need to perform at their very best, for the good of the school.’