A Conversation with James Bower: The New Head of Sixth Form
James Bower has taken on many roles within Ackworth School, encompassing a wide variety of departments from PE to sustainability. Most recently, he has become the new Head of Sixth Form.
“My favourite thing about Ackworth School… is the community” James Bower said. “I’ve never worked at a place where… all the stakeholders… come together to make it work because of the goodness that will come”
James’ new role involves liaising with a variety of stakeholders, including parents, staff members and students.
“All of a sudden, I’ve got nine student officers who are willing to help me… backed by staff, backed by parents, and all of a sudden we have something which is ready to go”
Previously, James has led sustainability in Ackworth School and still has a passion for sustainability.
“Sustainability is really immersed in everything that we do in and out the school”, James said when asked about integration with Quaker values. “We’ve made great strides… by having a carbon footprint so we know how much we have been using as a school”
James’ sustainability efforts have been intense and varied recently, additionally involving many large projects such as installing solar panels
“We’re a long way off, as are many establishments” James said. “But we’re starting to look at that [sustainability] in a wider lens”
Being the Head of Sixth Form is a multifaceted role, with one of the main aspects involving academics.
“Our responsibility is not to define potential narrowly, but to unlock it fully” James stated.
When asked what students wanted from sixth form, James claimed students want “the scaffolding that they need to go on and achieve fantastic results”.
In recent years, Ackworth has seen multiple heads of sixth form. When asked how he plans on improving Ackworth’s Sixth Form offering, James focused closely on the community aspect of the Sixth Form.
“There is a strong and intentional focus on shaping a more connected and united Sixth Form community” James said.
In addition to this, James has already began to plan social events and team building activities in the hopes of bringing people “closer together in terms of being like a family”
It is clear that a new era has begun for sixth form, and James appears confident that his proposals will improve the Sixth Form environment at Ackworth School. This progression seems to be in line with James’ goal, to create an environment where “students support each other, celebrate success together, and contribute to a positive and welcoming environment.”.