Samantha Louise Bagshaw

e-mail samanthalouisebagshaw@gmail.com
Mobile +971 (0) 55 7018336
DOB 01-04-85

Personal Statement
I am an ambitious, confident Senior Leader currently working at an outstanding 3-18 international school in
Dubai. Since September 2012 I have been responsible for the EYFS and Primary curriculum as well as standards of
attainment and progress in Years 2, 3 and 4. Currently, I am on the GEMS Establishing Leader course, aimed at
aspiring Heads and Principals, which I am due to complete in June 2015. As a highly motivated individual, I am
passionate about self- improvement and in 2010 I completed an MA in Educational Studies; an achievement of which I
am very proud. My ultimate aspiration is to be a Head Teacher as I am passionate about innovation, shaping visions,
managing whole-school change and leading transformational teams to ensure optimum outcomes for all learners.
I am hugely excited at the prospect of the position of Deputy Head at Sunmarke School and the opportunities it
presents. To be able to work as part of a leadership team to shape an entirely new school would be a huge privilege
and I am certain that I would thrive in this position. I enjoy sharing visions with teams and empowering them with tools
to lead and deliver to the best of their ability. Having been in Dubai for three years, I have been a part of three DSIB
inspections and one BSO inspection and would therefore be able to offer significant insight and experience to this
process. I have contributed to our schools SEF as well as help build our SIP and prepare core curriculum leaders for
inspection interviews. I have adapted successfully to leadership in a very large educational setting and have many
strategies for managing change on a large scale. I have particularly enjoyed being a part of a large recruitment and
induction process in which I have interviewed teachers, middle leaders and head teachers as well as welcome new
teachers to Dubai and lead induction training in school policies and procedures.
My current line management responsibility includes twelve curriculum leaders, three year leaders (Year 2, 3
and 4) and twenty one teaching staff (Year 2, 3 and 4). Next academic year I am looking forward to a move as Phase
Leader of Year 5 and 6; a phase which I am particularly passionate about. I have responsibility for the organisation of
ECAs (Extra Curricular Activities) in Primary as well as being the lead for parental engagement. As a member of the
senior leadership team I play a key role in whole-school decision making and the MER (Monitoring, Evaluation and
Review) schedule. I have been extensively involved in policy writing and review, most notably for our Home Learning
and Classroom Environment Policy, and have enjoyed sharing expectations with the teaching team. In addition to this, I
have represented the FS and Primary Curriculum at WISC (Wellington International School Council for Parents) as well

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as presented at many parent workshops. I am a confident communicator and have built excellent relationships with
parents, led innovative staff meetings and am articulate when sharing key messages with the whole staff team.
As a leader, I expect the very best from all staff and strive to ensure that I deliver clear, consistent messages
which empower others. Being a team player is of paramount importance to me as I believe that the key to raising
standards lies in shared goal setting and robust action plans identifying individual accountability. My experience to date
has demonstrated that I am a committed, resilient and flexible member of a team who approaches challenges with a
solution-focused approach. Being a part of a through-school, 3-18 team has empowered me with an increased
knowledge of the secondary curriculum as well as an experience of multiple cross-phase opportunities. One of the
biggest challenges as a member of a Leadership Team at an International fee-paying school lies in building excellent
relationships with the parent body. Our children come from ambitious families and we have a responsibility to ensure
that we provide the very best for their children. During my time at WIS I have worked steadfastly to ensure that we have
consistency across all classes and Year Groups in Home Learning and communication with parents. I have built strong
relationships with our school parent association and led coffee mornings when sharing school changes such as a new
school reporting system.
Since September 2013, our Primary Curriculum priority has been to ensure that our FS-Y6 curriculum is both
progressive and challenging and at least in line with the expectations outlined in the 2014 English Curriculum and the
UAE National Agenda. I have worked closely with the Assistant Head of Primary to ensure that our curriculum enables
all learners to meet our ambitious progress and attainment targets. The rise in our curriculum expectations has
impacted hugely on both progress and attainment and our standards within Key Stage Two continue to exceed both UK
and international comparisons. I have worked as part of the Primary Leadership Team to ensure that our Curriculum
Leaders and Year Leaders have been empowered with a rigorous knowledge of the raised expectations and they, in
turn, have increased expectations on the ground. In addition to this, this year I have been a member of the GEMS
Assessment Network Group and have been a part of many discussions regarding Life after Levels. In the next
academic year I am excited about mapping Wellington International Schools future move to KPIs (Key Performance
Indicators). Our focus for the 2015- 2016 academic year is our new computing curriculum, which will give all children
from FS to Year 6 the opportunity to code and program, and VLE (virtual learning environment).
In summary, I am a highly committed, energetic and reflective practitioner who constantly strives to achieve her
very best. As a leader I strive to empower others to achieve challenging objectives in order to ensure that the highest
attainment targets are met. I am extremely ambitious and excited at the prospect of joing the Sunmarke Leadership
Team as Deputy Head at the start of an exciting journey.
Hobbies and Interests

Active with a passion for the outdoors; scuba diving (PADI Qualified), trekking and long distance running (Dubai
Premier Marathon January 2014)

Artistic and creative; appreciative of modern art and architecture, sculpture and theatre.

Adventurous; love of travel, meeting new people and experiencing new cultures and countries.

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Employment History
August 2012- Present

Senior Leader- Curriculum

GEMS Wellington International School; Dubai

Committed member of the Primary Senior Leadership Team responsible for standards and attainment in Year
2, 3 and 4. Line- management responsibility of twelve Curriculum Leaders and three Year Leaders.

Leader of the design and implementation of a challenging, robust and creative curriculum from FS-Y6.

Accountable for the monitoring and review (MER) process in Years 2, 3 and 4 and all curriculum areas e.g.
ensuring WIS Policy is adhered to within learning environments, exercise books, planning and teaching and
learning.

July 2011-July 2012

Senior Teacher (TLR2) in Year Six and Maths Coordinator

Hill Mead Primary School; London

Leader of Year Six responsible for two class teachers and accountable for planning, assessment and standards.

Committed member of Lambeth Borough Council Assessment Network Group both leading and being part of a
team Year 6 Writing moderation sessions.

Whole school Maths Coordinator responsible for the quality of teaching and learning of Maths through- school.
Communicated standards effectively with the Senior Leadership Team and led staff insets.

August 2010-July 2011

Year Six Classroom Teacher and Maths and Science Coordinator

Saigon Star International School; Ho Chi Minh City

Whole school Maths and Science coordinator responsible for the modelling and observation of lessons, shared
planning, implementation of topic cycles and organisation of resources.

Leader of the School Council ensuring that every child has a voice and all children feel a part of the school
community.

Teacher of Year Two Problem Solving Lessons (one hour per week) reinforcing basic skills required to approach
an investigation or problem in a methodical way.

September 2007- July 2010

Year Five and Six Classroom Teacher and DT Coordinator

St. Georges C of E Primary School; London

Leader of Gifted and Talented Art Club managing trips to exhibitions and organising visiting artists. Achievement
of Gold Arts Mark Award under my leadership.

Part of whole school pilot of Formative and Summative Assessment of Writing, Reading, Maths and Science
using Assessing Pupil's Progress Grids (APPs) and team moderation.

Visit to Dominica as part of the Wandsworth Teacher Exchange Programme in February 2009. Worked for two
weeks in a local school and taught Maths and English following the British National Curriculum to children from
the ages of 3-16.

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Education
September 2007- August 2010

Kingston University; London

MA Educational Studies (Commendation)
September 2006- July 2007
The University of Newcastle Upon Tyne; Newcastle
PGCE General Primary (5- 11 Years)
September 2003-July 2006
The University of Birmingham; Birmingham
BA Honours Political Science (2:1)
September 2001-July 2003
Stowe School; Buckingham
A Levels Economics (B) Politics (B) Art (B)
September 1998-June 2001
Eastbourne College; Eastbourne
GCSEs
Art (A*)

Biology (B)

Maths (A)

French (B)

Physics (A)

Spanish (B)

English Lit. (A)

History (B)

Chemistry (B)

English Lang. (B)

Referees

Mr. J. Dey

Mr. S. Bryan

Vice Principal- Primary Head Teacher

Head of Junior School

GEMS Wellington International School

Le Rgent College

Dubai

Switzerland

Relationship Current Employer

Relationship Previous Employer

e-mail j.dey_wis@gemsedu.com

e-mail scott.bryan@leregentcollege.com

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