A firm believer in inclusion, Sophie oversaw the creation of our Team Up unit for children that would otherwise be excluded and more recently launched our Wise Owl Wellbeing scheme to look after the Mind, Body and Soul of pupils and staff.

And that is just the start of her aspirations for our pupils, families and staff.

Graduating with a degree in Business from Manchester University, Sophie was appointed Head Designate of her first school within five years of starting as an NQT. Nominated for a national teaching award in 2008 for innovative approaches in school, she has big ambitions for Wise Owl and how it can help improve life chances of children both within our Trust and nationally.

When Sophie joined the Trust in 2013 as Principal of Seymour Road the school was in Special Measures. Within 18 months she had overseen a transformation that led to the school being judged Good with Outstanding Early Years.

A promotion to Executive Principal in 2016 coincided with our third school, Old Hall Drive, joining the Trust. Having previously been in Special Measures three times and judged Required Improvement, it adopted the Wise Owl ethos and was judged Good by 2019.

“What’s the secret?” says Sophie. “I think it is our ethos, a shared vision at every level. Not just ‘Blue Sky’ thinking. I mean a clear vision of what good teaching looks like on the ground. Not just saying our motto Together Everyone Achieves More but really believing it.

“For me it’s about raising high expectations. We are preparing our children to make the right choices beyond the school gates.

“It is our dream to change the lives of not only our children, but of the families of our children, and our whole Wise Owl Trust family.”

Hayley Brooker
— Principal, Old Hall Drive Academy

“I want every child to be the best version of themselves that they can be and I want us to help them achieve that vision.”

There have been many impressive transformations at Old Hall Drive Academy. But the one Principal Hayley Brooker is most proud of is the fact that wherever you walk in school you can hear the sound of children’s laughter.

“I want the children to come in to a building that’s really warm and friendly and exciting,” she explains. “Somewhere that makes them want to come through the door and learn every day. Visitors always comment on how excited the children are to come up and tell you about their day.”

Hayley was appointed Principal of Old Hall Drive in 2016, shortly after the Academy joined Wise Owl. Since then, she says, there has been a complete turnaround in every aspect of school life, from behaviour to achievement.

“There was quite a period of change when we joined Wise Owl Trust,” she explains. “They were in the middle of implementing the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. curriculum so we just jumped right in.

“Prior to joining, we had always been graded as Requires Improvement. Attendance and perceptions of learning were a struggle. But we have seen such a positive change.”

Now graded Good by Ofsted, Hayley credits the character-led Wise Owl curriculum with much of the transformation by focusing on key life skills.

“Our children really do need to learn character traits such as resilience. Now our school is bright, fun, engaging, friendly and welcoming.”

And nobody could be more proud than Hayley, who joined Old Hall Drive as an NQT in 1998 and has been committed to the pupils there ever since.

“It’s been a long journey but we have seen the school really rise through the ranks and I think that’s because of everyone in the team pulling together. But also it’s down to the hard work of our pupils. I do believe they are our superstars.”

Claire Hall
— Principal, Briscoe Lane Academy

“What we teach our pupils is not just about the here and now, it’s about life and beyond.”

The transformation in pupil behaviour with the Wise Owl R.E.S.P.E.C.T. curriculum has been nothing short of 360 degrees at Briscoe Lane, according to Principal Claire Hall.

“Behaviour has completely turned around,” she explains. “R.E.S.P.E.C.T. underpins everything we do. And our children really understand what those key values – Resilience, Empathy, Self-Awareness, Positivity, Excellence, Communication and Teamwork – are. Not just in a lesson, they can really talk about them.

“We know that our children will face challenges when they leave primary school and we want to make sure we prepare them for all those challenges not just in high school but in life. For me it’s about building resilience.”

Joining Briscoe Lane as Principal in 2017, Claire was no stranger to the Wise Owl family, having previously worked as acting deputy head at Old Hall Drive where she started her teaching career in 2008. And, she says, it is the Trust’s family ethos that is the secret of its success.

“For me as a Head it’s great to know I’ve got the other Heads and Sophie on the end of the phone,” she says. “We are a real community school as well and my hope is we really engage the parents in the school as well.”

And it’s not just the pupils Claire pushes to do their best “As a Head I’m always looking at ways I can improve,” she says. “But I’m told we have a really lovely feel here in the school now and I’m just so proud because that shows what a strong team we have here, working through any challenges together.”

Debbie Frater
— Principal, Seymour Rd Academy

“R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is the DNA that runs through the school – and the whole Trust.”

From the moment Debbie stepped through the doors of Seymour Road she says she knew it was the right school for her.

Having already undergone an amazing transformation under the leadership of Sophie Murfin – going from Special Measures to Good with Outstanding Early Years within 18 months of her taking over back in 2013 – the school ticked all the boxes Debbie was looking for in her first headship role.

“I could just feel it on my first ever visit,” she says. “It was really obvious everything was on the same agenda and had the same values as me.”

“The whole school has been on a huge journey in the past six or seven years and everyone I show round now says what a vibrant and friendly place it is.”

“This is my first Principal role and I love it, I really enjoy it,” she says. “Of course it is challenging but I love being part of a Trust, we are a really close team. As Heads we run things past each other all the time and we have Sophie who is a really great source of support.”

While the school has been ranked above the national average for academic results, Debbie says she is just as pleased with the personal development she has seen in the children.

“We have really carefully planned projects and interventions that has made a massive difference to our children’s self-esteem and confidence, those core personal skills that we really prize. I just think it’s a really exciting place to be. I’ve learned so much and there is such a lot of potential for the Trust to share what we have done on a wider scale.”