Enthusiastic head takes up new role

Mrs Lindsay Hall is the new interim head at Burgoyne Middle School in Potton. She will remain in post for at least a year.

She was a head for 16 years but became a schools’ inspector and a church schools’ inspector two years ago. She was also a consultant for schools and previously helped Burgoyne in this role.

Mrs Hall, who is looking forward to working with children again, is a keen musician. She said: “I’ve got lots of music in my background and I’m a church organist.

“I’ve been playing the organ for over 30 years. I’m teaching a group the clarinet and I have a recorder group, a choir and a music theory group. I also play the piano.”

Other extracurricular clubs will also be given a boost as every teacher will be taking a lunchtime or after school club this term, she added.

Students can expect to enjoy a full programme of school activities, starting with a scarecrow festival next month.

The new head also enjoys gardening and she hopes to encourage the students in this hobby.

She said: “We’ve put in a big vegetable bed to grow veg and are going to get some chickens and put in some fruit trees.

“We’ve got two cookery clubs after school and the idea is to get the vegetables going from field to fork.”

Mrs Hall, who is originally from East Yorkshire, hopes to develop deeper links with the community and also with Burgoyne’s feeder schools.

Additionally, she has brought with her a partnership with Zurich University and she will be building the school’s link with St Joseph’s School in Kilmuckridge in Ireland.

Burgoyne will be working towards the International Schools Award.

Mrs Hall, who was formerly an ambassador for the British Council, said: “I think it’s important you celebrate differences but also the similarities to overcome racism and build an understanding that we are all the same as people.”

She was initially a design technology resistant materials teacher.

She has been a primary teacher and she also taught a lot of music. She used to be a headteacher in the village of Harrold, north of Bedford.

Mrs Hall added: “The school has got a really nice feel to it. It’s a really happy place.”