As a community school we work closely together, valuing happiness, and school connectedness, guiding families on how to help their children at home, to provide the very best education possible and ensuring that children love coming to school.

Wayne was always intrigued with the teaching profession and this was ever since he was a child. Being a child of 1970s, he was grateful to get educated at a progressive state school, which provided a rich, creative and varied academic experience. The school was focused on creating a genuine love of learning. It was a child-centered school giving the children immense opportunity to be creative, flourishing in new dimensions, and this itself made Wayne purse his passion for teaching.  “Providing children with really engaging and relevant activities has always been central to my work throughout my career”, explains Wayne as his motive.  

A Journey to Remember

After pursuing his education in London, Wayne was ready to start his career in the teaching profession. He recalls that his first teaching post was at a tough urban school, which was challenging but it gave him the much-needed experience to be able to cope with all situations. This instilled the confidence in him to try and face hurdles with each passing day. As the old adage says “that if you can teach somewhere like that then you can teach anywhere is true” and even today Wayne believes in this and advises the young teachers to follow a similar path.

After successfully completing a few years at the school, his ambition and dive, leading him to new leadership positions. He was soon appointed as the Deputy Head at school which further continued with him being the head of four different schools in U K  “I have never wanted to work in an advisory/director of education type role so when an opportunity to take over headship of an established school in the UAE came up eight years ago, I jumped at the opportunity”, he adds.

The school was privileged to be graded as the first outstanding school in Abu Dhabi and the first school to be outstanding twice-making this the school of choice for families in Abu Dhabi. Leading from the front effectively for six years, it was time for Wayne to make a move. He decided to dock his boat at a new destination which was thrilling and exceptional and is honored to be appointed as the founding principal of The Aquila School in Dubai land. “The owners of the school (International Schools Partnerships) share my commitment to amazing learning and allow me as school leader to employ skilled practitioners who share my commitment in helping every child make as much progress as possible with their learning.” He believes that the school works with a holistic approach of making a difference and preparing the children for the future, giving them a wide range of enjoyable and relevant experiences. Learning The Aquila School under Wayne’s leadership is focused on, what the children need to learn right now.

The Momentous Strides in Education

Being the leader of the school, Wayne tirelessly works to help the child learn and improve. Ably assisted with Ms. Kylie Cleworth, is head of primary who has worked alongside Wayne for eight years with a shared passion of providing amazing learning. He believes in the impact of CPD when it comes to learning, sharing his experiences with colleagues through the delivery of training and through taking part in local educational expert panel discussions helping them discover what he has learned over the years. Due to his extensive work experience in the field of teaching, he is a qualified school inspector and once a year relishes the privilege of visiting and learning from schools in other parts of the world. “In the UAE, my biggest accomplishment would be about achieving the highest possible ranking through the public inspection regime which shows we are providing the very best education for the children in our care”, concludes Wayne.

A Comprehensive View about The Aquila School

‘Real Learning for a Real Future’

The Aquila School aims to be an inclusive school that has amazing learning at its heart.  The children are independent, creative, caring, and resilient, able to make decisions and solve problems through inquiry. The highly qualified staff work tirelessly to ensure that every child makes as much progress as possible and that lessons are engaging, memorable, fun and relevant, underpinned by academic rigor.

Educational Scenario of UAE and Future Steps of the School  

The UAE provides opportunities for children to study through a number of different curricular, so there are plenty of choices available to the global community. The Aquila School is the flagship school of London based International Schools partnership – an organization committed to providing amazing learning with 39 schools all over the world.

The wise leadership of the country promotes such diversity and tolerance. With the ever-changing dynamics of education, the school aims to be updated with the current trends and evolve with time. The school is continuing to grow and develop and its commitment to deliver ‘The Aquila promise’ of amazing learning is steadfast.

The Aquila Promise

• Children will learn at levels that will amaze both them and their parents – the school tirelessly works to ensure every child makes as much as progress as possible
• The child- centered environment at the school.
• The school will communicate with you about your child’s learning and all aspects of life in our busy school
• Its broad curriculum will inspire your children to be creative, independent and resilient thinkers, with lessons that have a real sense of purpose – underpinned by academic rigor.
• This school will be the heart of the community – with a shared sense of purpose that helps your child develop as broadly as possible.

Tackling Hurdles Effectively 

Wayne believes that as a school leader he is, committed to the notion of accountability and ensures teachers are accountable for the progress of every child in their care. Being a school leader, he is accountable for all aspects of the work right from managing his desk to consulting the staff and is handling many more tasks at his hand. He recalls, “There have been times in my career, where external expectations conflicted with my belief in what is educationally right for the children.” One such particular example of this was in the UK when schools were spending a disproportionate amount of time preparing children for SATs tests and the schools were being judged not for the progress of the children or the richness of the curriculum on offer, but on their raw scores.

This was indeed challenging for Wayne to maintain the integrity of the school and stay attached to his principles. “Like many school leaders, I believe that such crude measures are unfair as they do not take into account the different starting points that children have.”  One of his many catchphrases is- progress is king and therefore, he is proud to be one of the school leaders in the UK who boycotted SATs tests and these actions ultimately led to the introduction of a far fairer system of measuring school performance.

“Words of Wisdom”

Wayne addresses to the budding students of the world to be persevere, be resilient and above all choose a career which they enjoy and love the most. As it was his dream to teach, he absolutely loves his job. “It is my absolute privilege to work alongside staff, who are committed to providing the best educational opportunities to the children to excel. I choose to work hard, but also have a sensible work-life balance to cherish life to its fullest,” asserts Wayne.