Meet our new Headteacher!

The deadline for completing your application via WSCC is 31 October 2020 - you can find more information here.

Headteacher's presentation - transcript

Welcome to STA, a school that is fully inclusive and relentlessly strives for the best from every single member of our community.

My name is Mia Lowney, and will be taking up the post of Headteacher this coming January and am absolutely thrilled to be accepting both girls and boys into our year 7 cohort in September 2021. Currently, as a pastoral Deputy at a C of E affiliated school, I understand how fundamental school values are to every day school life. In my previous curriculum roles, as Head of English, I recognize the need to consistently hold and expect the highest standards from all in order to achieve outstanding outcomes.

Throughout my own education, I strived towards being the best I could in all aspects, including training with the England junior volleyball squad alongside sitting examinations. I therefore value the importance of a fully rounded individual and the need for balance and fulfillment in life. I still have a love of the sport, and play regularly, and want to enable our students to find a similar life-long love, and healthy life balance for themselves.

STA is a unique school. It was apparent during my first tour that it is a school that is utterly filled with potential, in every respect. As I walked around the buildings, met staff and students, and was able to see the tangible school values, a feeling grew throughout that I just couldn’t shake. It was a feeling of ‘coming home’, a feeling that I had always known this place and this was where I was meant to be. I knew that this was the school I had to work at; that this was the school I was meant to be in. However clichéd that may sound, that feeling is what drove my desire to work at STA, and why I am here today, and the reason I have absolute faith that we are going on a journey to become an outstanding school.

Having driven through change in my previous roles across several faith schools, both pastorally and academically, I know what it takes to nurture a culture of high aspiration, challenge and love. And I have seen the exceptional outcomes when this is done well. Our moral purpose as educators is to ensure that every single child is given the opportunities to achieve their potential; and that every single child is given access to the absolute best guidance, care and learning opportunities. I firmly believe that if what we are offering is not good enough for one of our own children, it is not good enough for yours.

We have been given a new beginning; an opportunity to open our doors to all, and to grow our vision of love, community and inclusivity. I know that change can be exciting, and that it can also be a little frightening, but without change there is no growth. I do not accept the fear of change as a barrier to growth, and I do not accept that the fear of failure should hold us back, because there is no fear in love. And, beyond all else, we love our students, and all we do is for their betterment and growth.

As a pastoral lead, I worked every day to ensure that all children knew that they were loved, and that our core purpose was helping them to create and forge their own futures. I want to see STA students leaving year 11 as rounded characters who don’t just have the academic qualifications they need to enable them to succeed, but young adults who are loving, respectful and compassionate; people who are not afraid to fail but see that as a way to learn and grow; young men and women who do not accept limitations, but seek to go beyond the expectations of others; people who face adversity with resilience, kindness and patience.

STA is a community that knows every student. A community that shows love to every individual. A community where you are known, respected and valued. It may very well be the right community for your child.

Usually, when you’re choosing a school for your child, one of the key things is visiting the school: being able to meet the team in person; putting faces to names and getting a feel of the atmosphere, ethos and community of the school; walking the school and getting the opportunity to ask questions. On many levels I am sad that we are unable to do that in the ‘usual way’ this year, but your child’s safety, your safety and the safety of our community is more important than anything else. So, we have created a range of videos and information pages that welcome you into our community as much as we are able via the digital world, and offer all of those experiences as close to ‘in person’ as possible. We are also offering socially distanced tours every Tuesday and Thursday – call our school number to secure your place.

Don’t forget to follow us on IG, Facebook and twitter @sta_worthing

I very much look forward to seeing you in person later this year, and beginning our pioneering journey together.