TWO years ago Vicki Jackson was appointed the first female headteacher of Caldew School in Dalston.

The secondary school has 1,100 students on roll between the ages of 11 and 18 and this year recorded its best ever GCSE and A-level results despite a raft of tougher examinations now being in place.

She puts this down to the wonderful students who attend the school and its dedicated staff.

It is not surprising when you hear her story why Ms Jackson believes in the importance of education in giving children opportunities that can change their lives.

Not only by achieving qualifications, but also through a broad range of experiences both in and outside the classroom that enable students to experience success and develop the skills, attitudes and resilience they need to be successful when they leave school.

Ms Jackson is from a council estate, was a child who had free school meals, and was brought up by a single parent.

She fully understands why students need to be inspired by teachers as it was her old biology teacher and form tutor Mrs Black who instilled in her love of science and gave her support throughout her school days that set her on the path to becoming a headteacher.

Ms Jackson’s career path was via the University of Liverpool where she studied genetics before studying a post graduate certificate in education (PGCE) in science.

Her first appointment was at Deyes High School in Maghull, Liverpool, before she became head of science at a school in Chester.

She progressed through a number of schools before her appointment as deputy headteacher at Caldew School, working alongside Chris McAree who is now head of William Howard School in Brampton.

Ms Jackson says that seeing students achieve whatever their ability and see them on their way to being successful is her greatest passion.

* LAST year the whole school was tasked with developing a set of values that guide the way the school works together - the Caldew Way.
Every student and member of staff participated in the exercise and creating the values: 

  • Aspire - be ambitious and aim high to be the best you can be; 
  • Resilient - keep trying, enjoy a challenge and don’t give up; 
  • Respect everyone’s opinions, listening to others and take into account people’s feelings;
  • Tolerant - be willing to accept the beliefs of others; 
  • Safety - make sure everyone is safe; 
  • Be a proud member of the community and be happy so that we can all enjoy school.

With the Caldew Way firmly in Ms Jackson’s mind, the headteacher can be seen enjoying hot chocolate with her “Learners of the Week” every Tuesday morning. 

These are students from all year groups who have been nominated by staff and heads of school for achieving the previous week, whether that be academically, extra-curricular or in their own time. 
It is part of the wider rewards system introduced in school during Ms Jackson’s first year as headteacher, where students receive points and at the end of each term the students with the most are invited to attend her themed reward parties.
Elsewhere, Ms Jackson works closely with other headteachers across Carlisle, Brampton and Wigton.
She is the current chair of the Carlisle Secondary Learning Consortium, where together members share ideas and support each other. The collaboration is more important than ever due to the current educational climate and supporting benefits all.