New Hadfield headteacher sets out vision for infant school

The new head of Hadfield Infant School says she and her new team aim to deliver the ‘very highest’ standards of early years education and experience.

Francesca Dodd, from Glossop, takes up the post after 12 years teaching.

She said: "It's a joy and an honour to help support and form young people's lives in their early years, which are the foundations of who they become.

"My vision is to ensure and assure that each pupil is an independent and confident learner and to equip our children for the next steps in their learning journey.

"This will be achieved through my engaged, extremely capable and enthusiastic team," she added.

After meeting her army officer husband while living in her hometown of Newcastle, the couple moved to Glossop and Frankie has since worked in New Mills as well as taking up an assistant headteacher job at a school in Buxton.

She said she 'can't wait' for this new venture and is looking forward to 'where the school is moving towards'.

Changes are already underway in regard to the school's IT infrastructure, with a new website coming soon and the ClassDojo platform being introduced as a tool to 'ramp up' communication with parents.

Frankie continued: "We'll be engaged in the community. The team are brilliant and have really gelled together; one of the teachers even held a party for me before I started so that I could meet all of the staff.

"It really took the pressure off being a leader and having that role, giving me the opportunity to get to know everybody as a person."

Chair of Governors Kath Holtom said: "Mrs Francesca Dodd has been chosen to lead the school and build on the strong legacy of Miss Alison Barnes.

"There was a very competitive field of candidates and following a robust interview process that covered all strategies and operational aspects of school life, Governors were delighted to appoint her.

"We are all really excited to work with Mrs Dodd to continue to move the school forward, ensuring all our children benefit from stimulating learning experiences and an enjoyable education foundation for their school journey."

The infant school are inviting parents and children to visit them for an open morning on Saturday 7 October between 10am and 12pm.