Perspective - Staff

Working at Kings Langley School

Subject Leader of Technology - Carmela Scanlan

Teaching is the best job in the world. I have been teaching for 30 plus years and am highly passionate about my main subjects of Design and Technology and Food. I am currently the subject leader for Technology and STEM coordinator in school. I have worked for Kings Langley school for 10 years now and am delighted to work in a school where the love of learning not just academic, but all round matches my own view of education for both students and staff alike.

I have been given opportunities to develop not just my students learning and share my passion for my subjects with them, but to also improve my own learning through participating in a wealth of opportunities that Kings Langley school has provided. Students and staff alike can take part in a number of extra-curricular activities and learn new skills and techniques. I offer cookery clubs for students and enjoy attending music clubs where I am the student learning. I have been very fortunate to be able to increase my love of travel by being invited onto several school foreign trips during activities week with the school orchestra to Barcelona and Lake Guardia to name a few and recently with the foreign languages department to Valencia, where it was amazing to see the culture and the Spanish view of STEM in their unique science museum. As the STEM coordinator I am fascinated every year by the inventiveness and creativity of our students with their amazing entries into the STEM fair and their empathy and generosity with the STEM fundraising. Its reassuring to think that these bright minds are our future which is clearly in safe hands.

As well as being a technology teacher I immensely enjoy the role of a form teacher- there is no greater joy than seeing the progress students make through their time with us at school and no prouder moment than on results days when handing those exam envelopes out to your form and sharing their tears of joy with them. I am fortunate this year to be starting with a form in year 7 and am looking forward to the journey we will be taking together over the next 5 years. Kings Langley school is an extremely welcoming school where staff and students feel safe and supported. As a school of character it is wonderful to see the development of our students into successful confident and competent young adults. I am delighted to work in such a happy and successful school. 

Principal Assistant Headteacher – James Tubb 

When you work in a profession such as teaching, where you really have passion for what you do, choosing a school that you matches your principles and ethos is paramount to being able to make an impact on young people’s lives. After 11 years of teaching in south Essex,  I joined King Langley School after a long search for the ‘perfect’ school, a school that had morals and values parallel to my own.

I believe that teaching is not just about academia, it is about how the students, staff and wider communities experiences of a school; it is about the language that staff use towards students, parents and each other; it is about the curriculum, the resources and how these reflect the interests and needs of each and every student. In every classroom a student and their achievements should be celebrated. You should see who they are, where they come from and where you can take them. A learning environment should empower all students to succeed and for students to be leaders in their own right.

Since joining the school I been developed professionally; being given outstanding opportunities to progress through my career and work directly with the country’s leading education academics and professionals. Whist I take a proactive approach to reading contemporary research in education, being able to work face-to-face with leading specialists in areas such as SEND, curriculum design, and character education, is invaluable to being able to shape the education and experiences that all children and young adults deserve.

I am immensely proud to be a member of the King Langley School community, to work for a Headteacher and senior leadership team who have passion and integrity, to belong to a staff body who put students at the forefront of everything they do and to be among students who have character, who are respectful, and who have confidence.

Teacher of Modern Foreign Languages – Luke Hashman 

I have worked at Kings Langley School for a year now, and it has been a fantastic experience in so many ways. When I came for interview, I was struck by how friendly and welcoming everyone was. We have an open staff room instead of department offices which means you get to know people from other departments very quickly, as an NQT this has been invaluable as everyone is so willing to take the time to share their advice and wisdom, which has been so helpful. I unintentionally put this friendly spirit to the test by dislocating my knee during Open Evening (it’s a long story!), and was taken aback by just how kind and supportive everyone was, staff and students, both when it happened and in the weeks that followed as I was recovering.

I have had excellent support throughout my NQT induction, with supportive mentoring within school and the opportunity to attend subject-specific NQT training days, which were packed with useful hints that I could apply in the classroom straightaway. The year has flown by, I feel like I’ve always been here and I could not be happier to work in such a friendly, supportive environment. I absolutely love being at Kings Langley School and remain just as excited about coming to work each day as I was the day I was appointed.

Principal Assistant Headteacher - Sabra Butt 

I first stepped into Kings Langley School 16 years ago as a PGCE trainee teacher with no teaching experience or background of working with children. All I had was a love of my subject, colleagues who saw and nurtured my potential and a wonderful team around me- in the last 16 years none of that has changed. My success in this progressive journey has been down to the ample opportunities provided by the school, for me to develop as a teacher, mentor and leader. There have always been highly experienced individuals around me who have allowed me to both discover and further unlock my potential.

Working at Kings Langley School has allowed me to be who I am, to progress up the career ladder regularly, to develop my practice and enhance my subject knowledge. There are times I have felt that I should move on, seeing friends and colleagues move two to three different schools when I haven’t even moved once has made me question my path but then again Kings Langley School has become like a second family to me. The pupils are kind and thoughtful and even thank you for taking the register! Where else could I get that? The students are fabulous, hard-working young people, who thrive in the safe environment that the school and staff provide.

The bottom line is I love my job. The pupils are a pleasure to teach and building on their academic and personal development is extremely rewarding. At KLS I feel we have voices that are heard, encouraged to think divergently and are afforded the opportunity to not only be our authentic selves, but also ensure we inspire our young people to do the same.

Premises/Cover Manager – Sarah Markley

Having worked at another secondary school for 21 years prior to coming to Kings Langley School it was a daunting prospect making the move, but with the help of a supportive Leadership Team and the general staff body, the move has proven to be an extremely positive one.  Looking after a new, high tech building continues to be a joy despite the occasional challenges that looking after such a large estate can inevitably bring.  On a daily basis I find myself in awe of how hard the staff work to improve their physical teaching areas in order to support the students learning and this makes my challenges worthwhile and gives me an exciting environment to work within.

I have been given the autonomy to introduce new administrative processes within my areas of responsibility, which has led to me having greater job satisfaction.  I have also found that work-life balance is now as it should be and this is both positive for myself and my family. 

Staff wellbeing is very high on the agenda at the school and I am continuously pleasantly surprised by the way, the team look after each other, a team I am very proud to be part of.

Teacher of Modern Languages - Mr Paul Burgin

Being subject leader for MFL at Kings Langley has enabled me to improve in my craft of teaching languages, it has enabled me to learn how to lead in a positive way and it has helped me improve my time management skills. On top of this, we now boast some of the most impressive GCSE results in the local area and students respect and respond well to our consistent approach to teaching. 

The staffroom at Kings Langley is an important place to share ideas and culture, to learn and reflect on best practice and to get to know colleagues well. In other schools where I worked previously, this just wasn't the case. At Kings Langley we feel like a team of teachers who all agree to a certain way of how the school day should run. We also have a forum in which new ideas and ways of looking at systems and procedures can be shared and implemented in order to make the school more efficient. 

The school has a strong character programme which we use to help our young people to think about their choices on a day-to-day basis, as well as on a longer time scale in order to help our students to see the bigger picture, recognise their emotions and therefore help them in making the transition to adulthood. 

The consistent approach, the open-mindedness of school leaders and our wonderful students make this a very rewarding and happy place to work. 

Teacher of Geography - Miss Natalie Keane

I was first attracted to Kings Langley School after reading the school’s website and understanding the importance and value placed upon character development This resonates with my own morals and values as my degree is in geography and psychology. I have always had an interest into what shapes behaviour, and this child-centred approach is what is paramount to supporting the well-rounded development of each individual. I always knew that the right school for me would be the one where I instantly had a feeling and my three years at KLS thus far have confirmed this. I am very grateful to be part of such an experienced and knowledgeable department, and so grateful to have met many colleagues who are now close friends.

When I arrived at KLS I had only been fully qualified for one year and I was very fortunate to have been given the autonomy and trust to develop my own identity as a teacher. I have since been afforded the opportunity to take on the role as key-stage 3 coordinator in geography, where I have developed my passion for quality teaching and learning. My role as a teacher is to illuminate the importance of geography in students’ everyday lives and incite curiosity, awareness and knowledge to become good and active members of the community. KLS allows me to feel fulfilled knowing that everyone strives towards collective goal of supporting the academic, social and emotional development of each child.

Display Technician - Mrs Joanne Dignum

I had never worked in education before, I initially trained as a visual merchandiser and moved onto large format graphic design and installation.  I found that many of my skills have been transferable into my job here at Kings Langley, and although the environment is very different to my previous employment I enjoy being part of the non- teaching support team. 

My role in school is to design and create displays though out the school within each department, I also collate the weekly newsletter. I enjoy seeing the KLS students achieve their awards in school as these are often celebrated in the news letter and onto display boards for example, Maths challenges/ awards, Sports Stars, PE sport Council, Science university places and Colour Awards. I design curriculum based displays for classrooms within each department to ensure that the school is an engaging place to learn in. 

My experience of KLS has been every welcoming, I am constantly amazed by the hard work and dedication by both the teaching and support staff.  Staff wellbeing is also very much part of the culture, celebrating staff achievements and also many activities such as the book club, theatre trips and the Christmas party. I have also found the flexibility of my work-life balance has made a huge difference for my family life.