Meet the principal of the Oldham school that does things differently

Hathershaw College principal Mark Giles has lived on the same street in Royton with his wife Alison, a year three teacher at Alexandra Park Junior School, since 1997.

“A lot of the children she has taught I have gone on to teach,” he said. “I’m proud to have so many roots in Oldham.”

Mark was appointed as principal just before the Covid pandemic hit, which he describes as ‘a baptism of fire.’

Mark recalls how important it was to be part of the Pinnacle Learning Trust, a partnership formed between The Hathershaw College, Oldham Sixth Form College, Werneth Primary School, Broadfield and Alexandra Park Junior School, as the support was invaluable, and remains the case today.

He said proudly about this summer’s Year 11 leavers.  “They’ve had to dig deep and catch up. We had one young lady who left with eight grade 9s.

“But it’s not just about academic success. We are more inclusive about how we celebrate success because we will always have those who have achieved in the face of adversity.”

Hathershaw has been working hard to raise attendance to pre-Covid levels. Last year its attendance rate was 92.4 per cent.

Since the start of the new school year in September, it has recorded an attendance rate of 94.12 per cent compared with the 92.9 per cent national average.

“This is down to that feeling of belonging and creating an environment where they want to come to school,” said Mark.

A free breakfast is provided for all its pupils with a ‘café culture’ serving toast, bagels, tea, coffee and hot chocolate, and Mark helps out by dishing up the cereals.

And they like to think creatively at the school, which was commissioned in 1955 by aircraft manufacturer Avro to be built in the shape of the famous WWII Lancaster bomber.

On Saturday morning 20 former Hathershaw pupils at Oldham Sixth Form College will be back to give peer tutoring to Year 11 in English, maths, science, geography and history. They will provide this extra support while being paid for their time and gaining experience.

Hathershaw is also preparing to welcome back a former pupil who this summer won a belt in Muay Thai in Thailand. He will teach some of his Thai boxing techniques to help the Year 7 intake with their self-esteem after making the transition from primary to secondary school.

Mark is also proud that Hathershaw College is the home of The Hearing Resource Centre, a unique centre for students in Oldham with hearing losses to enable them to reach their potential. Catering for 18 children, it has specialist staff experienced in working with children with a hearing impairment.

They learn in the same classroom and with the same teachers as their hearing peers with British Sign Language interpreters present in lessons, assemblies and at every school event.

Speaking about the ‘Covid Generation’, he said: “There are lots of young people who don’t feel they belong and that’s the Covid legacy. They’ve lost trust in public organisations and it’s about rebuilding that contact with them.

“In my job, I love the interaction with people so it was like having the rug pulled from under your feet, educating children differently and keeping children and staff safe. It was a steep learning curve.”

Mark says what they do well is identifying support for pupils and diagnosing additional needs.

And he says they have a big focus on ‘belonging.’ “It’s about wanting to do the right things for the children who are from a background where they might not have had the best start in life,” he said.  

“You don’t always make the right decisions, but you make decisions for the right reasons and ultimately for the children.

“The most important people are the 1,000 children coming through the door. I always judge teachers on whether I would be happy with them teaching my own children.

“Here at Hathershaw we make sure they have that strong sense of identity and being part of this town and we find positive outlets to give them a sense of belonging. We call it ‘Hathershaw-ising’ things.

“We have the Hathershaw Acts of Charity and Kindness, fundraising for local, national and international charities, they carry out litter picks and we invite the elderly from sheltered accommodation in the area for a Christmas meal.”

His children were also educated in the borough, at St Paul’s Church of England Primary in Royton and North Chadderton School. His son Sam, 24, is training to become a paramedic and daughter Holly, 18, is studying for a degree in psychology.

Mark began his career at Witton Park Academy in Blackburn in 1996, where he worked his way up to head of faculty for business and IT.

He arrived at Hathershaw in 2006, the year Holly was born, and was assistant head until 2008, then vice principal before being appointed principal in 2019.

Mark, who was raised in Middleton, decided on his career path as early as his primary school days at St Michael’s Primary in Alkrington thanks to his teacher Stuart Ford.

“My parents remember me saying ‘I want to be him’ and ‘I want his job’,” he chuckled.

His secondary education was in Oldham at The Blue Coat School where he was taught by economics and business teacher Ian Wales, who he cites as his inspiration. And it was at Blue Coat that he met Alison in the sixth form at the age of 17.

“Alison and I were both brought up in very working classes households,” he said.

“Alison’s dad was a printer for the Mirror Group and my dad was a cabinet maker who left school at 14.

“Our children were brought up to do the right thing by people who need support. Success is not about money and it’s not what gets me out of bed in the morning.”

He added: “I always said that education can transform lives and traditionally I probably wasn’t destined for the job I am doing.

“But if it hadn’t been for my education in Oldham I wouldn’t be principal here at Hathershaw College.

“I am proud to be from Oldham and I say to my kids ‘we’re not from Manchester, we’re very much from Oldham.’  It’s a smashing place to be.”

Cllr Mohon Ali, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “We have great schools here in Oldham and I’m delighted that our children are given the best possible start in life.

“Hathershaw is a shining example of a nurturing school dedicated to placing its students on the path to a bright future.

“Its success in raising attendance and creating an environment where children are happy to learn is a testament to the hard work and care of Mr Giles and his team.”