KING Alfred School will not tolerate bullying and or put up with unauthorised holidays taken in term time.

The head teacher Denise Hurr was speaking to the Mercury in a wide ranging interview in which she spelt out some of the school’s policies, aspirations and qualities.

“We are a telling school so when students have issues such as bullying,” she said, “or if other students are being unkind to them, then we encourage all students to talk to an adult they trust within the school. That could be their tutor, or another adult they feel comfortable with to share their fears. Any incidents are investigated and then we work with families and all parties concerned with the issue to resolve the situation.”

She said that if necessary the school uses restorative justice meetings where the student will meet with a trained member of staff to talk through the issues. The person doing the bullying is made to understand how their actions have made their victim feel and how it has affected them.

“We use school-based ABC contracts,” she explained, “which are anti-social behaviour contracts. As part of these contracts we talk about the actions which everyone involved in the bullying issue will undertake. The students then agree and then sign the contract and there are consequences put in place if they breach the agreement.”

Another hot topic in the media is when pupils (and sometimes staff) take holidays out of school time. The Government’s guidelines are that parents can take their child out of school for a holiday but there must be exceptional circumstances and they must apply for permission in advance to the head teacher. Parents who breach this rule can receive a court order or even a £60 fine.

“We follow the Department for Education criteria very closely,” she said. “So we do not authorise holidays in term time unless they meet the department’s criteria.”

Denise Hurr was brought up in Clevedon where she went to school before reading music at Cardiff University where she graduated in 1994. “Saxophone was my main instrument,” she said, “I went to the Welsh College of Music and Drama and studied music and the history of music for my degree. After that I taught music in 15 schools in the Gloucestershire and Bristol areas and realised I enjoyed teaching so I then did my teacher training with the Open University.”

In 1997 she began teaching at what was Monk’s Park School in Bristol (now the Orchard Academy) before gaining promotion and teaching at Priory Community School in Worle for 11 years. Finally she moved on to be head of a school in Newport in Wales for three years before returning to Somerset in Highbridge. She keeps her love of music alive by playing in a classical wind band in Bristol and another local band that plays show music.

Now in her second year at the Local Education Authority controlled school Mrs Hurr, 43, is married to supply maths teacher Tim and they live locally with their two horses and  pet cats.

“The main task is to maintain the reputation of the school,” she said. “I’m aware of the historic issues relating to the school. A lot of work has been done by my predecessors to improve the reputation of the school do it is important we keep that positivity.”

Some readers will recall the reputation she referred to of around a decade ago when the model Poppy Rivers described her unhappy school days due to bullying at King Alfred’s which created bad publicity. Those with even longer memories may recall its days as a secondary modern school in the 1950s and 1960s when standards were not perhaps as high as they could be. Mrs Hurr is keen to further improve things and in particular is on a mission to increase the aspirations of the school.

She said the school’s main strengths were in sport, the arts, social sciences and a strong sixth form. There are ski trips for six formers, school trips, biannual careers fairs and guest speakers to further those aspirations she said, and the school also holds talent competitions and stages drama productions every year. With a staff of 82 teachers, 95 support workers and 1,320 students Mrs Hurr is clearly a busy woman and a head teacher on a mission to improve things further.

Did you attend King Alfred School in the 1960s and 1970s? We’d love to hear your stories from back in the day. Email harry.mottram@nqsw.co.uk