STONERAISE School head has one abiding principle: children should feel safe and supported and enjoy their time in school - this encourages children to learn.

And Clem Coady has a yardstick that he applies to himself and others: "Every time I walk in a classroom whether as a teacher or as the headteacher I always say to myself, would I be happy with my children in this class? If I am, great.

"If not, I do something about it.

"I still teach and am a headteacher, like so many other heads... this at least allows me to understand what it is like in the classroom firsthand!"

Mr Coady was born and bred in Carlisle but left to join the army as a teenager. He served for nearly five years before coming home to train as a teacher.

He is head of Stoneraise and is proud of the school.

Mr Coady was crowned Cumbrian Chess Champion just before lockdown. He is proud of his own achievement but even prouder of a group of young boys from Currock who took on private schools and much larger institutions to win their championship.

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His school breeds champions and has several awards to its name: "We have had some huge success musically too, and our music curriculum is thriving - giving out certificates as pupils pass external music exams - an opportunity we didn’t get back in the 1980s - definitely makes me smile," he said.

"We compete in many national competitions such as the Bebras Computing Coding Challenge and we always do really well in this.

"Our standing as an eco-school is something I am particularly proud of too, recently awarded best school garden for biodiversity was amazing."

He said he was 'incredibly lucky' to have the support of a brilliant staff and community and his two children and supportive wife.

Away from school, he is a keen Border Harriers runner - not as fast as he used to be, he admits, but certainly keen. And a run lets him think about things other than education for a while.

Back to education, though, Mr Coady represents other headteachers through the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT).

"I’ve had the opportunity to speak to political leaders and politicians of all colours to help influence their views on what effective education looks like.

"As well as this, I represent Cumbrian headteachers in a range of situations for the NAHT.

"I have learned so much in this role and like to think it has helped develop my understanding of the bigger picture surrounding education."

And for Mr Coady, that always comes back to a small school punching way above its weight in Carlisle.