A Day in the Life - Headteacher

Article written by: Laura Pearson

I was delighted to speak to Mr Humphries, who has been Head Teacher at Masterton Primary School for the last 13 years. Very quickly we established that, other than starting at 7pm and leaving at 5pm, there’s no typical day in the life of a Head Teacher. He describes coming into the school with a plan for the day, to find it changed by things that need attention. But he knows that being able to respond to the unexpected is one of the key parts of his job.

It seems that it's more a case of a typical year in a school, with things that need to be done at certain times across the term. With budget setting, curriculum planning, school improvement and class planning, his role involves a lot of thinking ahead and organising.

 In amongst all of his tasks, Mr Humphries always makes time to be out in the playground. Without fail, he can be found at the gate at the end of the day, where he takes the opportunity to speak to pupils and their parents. During the school day, he always goes out at lunch and break times too, to be in the playground with the children, enjoying his important role as “the guy they come to when their ball goes over the fence.”

Mr Humphries said his top priority in the school is always the children. His goal is to create a school where academic achievement is important but is not the only focus, saying that “within the school setting is a great place for children to learn about how to work as a community, how to work with others. There are opportunities for children to become involved through roles as reading ambassadors, pupil council representatives, house captains and members of the eco council.”

There's also a strong focus on sports at Masterton with basketball and football proving popular. Mr Humphries coaches the school football team and they have been very successful winning the Fife Cup this year.

Reflecting on a new choir set up by Miss English, he said “I have excellent staff around me with a range of skills and talents that provide a variety of opportunities for the children.”

He shared that the best thing about his job is “when the kids speak to you. P6’s recently won their basketball tournament and seeing how excited they were, that raw excitement and joy, was great. Even the wee ones, they come up to you in the playground and tell you it’s their birthday and they’re so excited. There’s so much cynicism around us in the world, but being around the kids, their energy and enthusiasm, keeps me young!”