Jess Alford, Kingswear Primary
They say size isn’t everything and that’s certainly true for Kingswear Primary. Nestled into the hillside with views overlooking the Naval College, the school with it’s 76 pupils is small, charming and unassuming. Head Jess Alford says her job is to create a stable educational family but be ready to adapt and even lead the way when it comes to the constantly shifting and challenging National Curriculum. Steph Woolvin was called to the head’s office….
In the playground there’s warmth and energy as the children run up to Miss A happy to tell her their news and keen to make her smile. 31 year old Jess may be a young head but you can tell she’s completely on top of things here at Kingswear. She has one eye on the comings and goings in the busy reception area and is half listening to the administrator’s telephone conversation about a pupil unable to make it in but doesn’t once falter when describing her aims and objectives.
Jess qualified in 2007 and started at Kingswear Primary the following year teaching Reception, Year 1 and 2 (four - seven year olds). She says she always wanted to be a teacher: “There was never an alternative for me, I didn’t ever question it, I just knew I wanted to work with children. No two days are the same and each day you watch a child learn something new. It never fails to please me.” Her passion may have come from her dad, who was a lecturer at Plymouth City College. Jess lived with him, her mum and brother in Ashprington before moving to Paignton where she currently lives. She took the position of Head of Teaching and Learning at Kingswear in 2013/14 and then moved up to Head of School last September.
One of Jess’s first initiatives was the introduction of a forest day. Every Monday the whole school relocates to a piece of land at the top of the hill. Kindly lent to them by farmers Edward and Emma Jones, it comes complete with an allotment, pond, bell tent and fire pit for toasting marshmallows. “I was determined to get the children up there,” says outdoor loving Jess. “Not all children thrive in a classroom environment and I believe no child should ever leave school thinking they’ve failed. Open space can go a long way towards addressing any anxiety or self esteem issues. It gives all children the chance to run, explore and learn about science, technology and engineering in a practical and exciting way. Whether they’re chopping wood, bird watching, building dens or creating animal feeders – they’re learning. I especially love watching the moments when they’re calm and thoughtful watching the fire burning with their wide eyes or listening to the wind in the trees - you don’t get that in a classroom.”
Alongside the regular forest days the children are treated to many other trips outside the school grounds. Every summer pupils in their final year head to London for a couple of days. Jess admits it is a chance for them all to let their hair down and for teachers to say goodbye to the children they’ve watched grow over the past seven years. She says they also learn a few life lessons along the way as every year they have pupils who’ve never been out of Devon, never been on a train and never managed money. “They have their own cash to spend and have to work out how to budget. When we visit restaurants and they want an expensive main they can’t have a pudding. If they’ve had an ice cream that day they may not have enough for sweets - that’s all for them to work out.”
They usually take a tour of the Houses of Parliament, go to a West End show and visit the Tower of London. Jess says they have a bit of a reputation for bumping into celebrities: “So far we’ve met Chris Martin from Coldplay at a theatre production of Matilda, he was really nice. We saw Nick Clegg outside number 10 so he stopped for a picture and then one year we clocked David Cameron. So now the pressure’s on, as each Year 6 class wants to see someone famous. “ Another popular summer activity is the yearly camp. It’s usually in Cornwall, but this year the children are heading to Beeson where they will try canoeing, bat safaris, midnight walks in the woods, tree climbing and preparing their own dinner on a gas cooker.
Jess has two extra curricular passions of her own – her white Spanish horse, Farolera and her Kawasaki Ninja motorbike! (She also loves Formula 1, Moto GP and the British Superbikes Championship). Farolera had been abused in Spain, and was brought to England by Jess and her friend Naomi after they witnessed her tough life. She is now very happy and content in Ipplepen with four other horses. Although, she is not too happy with the colder climate!
The school has been part of a learning federation for some years now - working alongside Blackawton, East Allington and Stoke Fleming primaries. At the beginning of this year they all joined an even bigger group called Education South West. This new body includes six primaries, three secondaries and Dartmouth Academy. Jess says being part of a big group has its benefits:
“Here at Kingswear we only have one teacher for each key stage so it can be a bit isolating for them. Now they have even more people to call on if they want to discuss their lesson plans, or get a few hints and tips about a particular subject. For the pupils, we have already set up a pen pal system with children over at Rydon Primary in Kingsteignton.” Jess says it’s a two way process: “We are unique in our location; less than five minutes walk to the water. So the other schools might visit us for sailing days and other water based activities. I must admit I do sometimes take our surroundings for granted.
I try to take the occasional moment to watch a helicopter land at the Naval College or listen to the steam train whistle as it chugs beneath us.”
Jess says the reason the school works so well is that the children and parents really are at its heart. “We listen to them and respect them. We don’t shout if pupils make mistakes - we call them ‘beautiful oops moments’ and show them how to learn from them. We give the older children roles around the school - whether that’s running Lego club for the younger ones or doing a reception shift - answering the phone and photocopying.” Jess is particularly proud of the school’s anti-bullying ambassadors. T
hese children work as a team and like a David Attenborough ‘Spy In The Wild’, have the advantage of always being in amongst the other children ready to report anything slightly unpleasant before it gets out of hand. Teachers have been so impressed by the ambassadors’ dedication they’re putting them forward for a Diana Award - to gain national recognition for young role models.
First published By The Dart magazine March 2017