Sarah Finch is used to going beyond the job description in her education career. The chief executive of the Marches Academy Trust, which has 11 schools in Shropshire, remembers being sent door knocking while at Frank F Harrison School in the 1990s to 鈥渟ell the school to the local community鈥. The school 鈥 now Bloxwich Academy 鈥 was in a deprived part of her hometown, Walsall, and had falling numbers of pupils. She described the area as having 鈥済un battles and God knows what going on鈥. But it offered a 鈥渇ascinating鈥 insight into 鈥渢he conditions these families were living in鈥. The walls of one home she was invited to, where a little girl who would later turn out to be in her form group lived, were awash with 鈥渄irt and grime鈥. She sat on the edge of the sofa to avoid dirty patches. 鈥淭here was no nice space to study, or for the family to eat together. I later understood why this girl sometimes came into school looking bedraggled, and why it was more difficult for her to do homework.鈥 But she believes things are now tougher in schools than ever before, as they are expected to step into the void left by other stretched services. She cites a social worker asking a teacher to go to see a child for them. One of the trust鈥檚 heads paid a taxi fare for a mother with a large cut on her arm who couldn鈥檛 afford to get to hospital. 鈥淭hose things are not on the job description,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e’re being asked to help parents 鈥 that’s been happening for some time. But for me, that’s not education.鈥 Sarah Finch with her sister Jane Sisterly impressions Finch is, however, a great believer in inclusive education, which stems from the experiences of her autistic sister Jane, who is five years her junior. Their parents had the option for Jane to attend a mainstream or special school, but chose the latter. Finch described the specialist provision as 鈥渓ike a protective cocoon鈥, but added she 鈥渟hould have gone to mainstream, because her resilience and socialization wasn’t there. She came out of there saying she was special. That was a big barrier.鈥 This 鈥渃oloured鈥 Finch鈥檚 鈥渆xperience鈥 of SEND schools and 鈥渃hanged the way I did things鈥. For instance, when she took on headship of the Marches School in 2009, it had a separate unit for SEND children. In the 鈥渟mall local community鈥 of Oswestry in Shropshire, the children sent there were 鈥渓abelled as being in the unit long after they had left鈥. So, Finch 鈥渢ook measures to reintegrate the children鈥. She 鈥渃hanged the concept of inclusion鈥, something she鈥檚 also doing at a trust-wide level The trust now has a 鈥極ne Voice鈥 student body, made up of ten representatives from each school on a 鈥渕ission to lead change鈥 with wellbeing and sustainability projects. The trust鈥檚 social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) school, Woodlands, is 鈥渧ery much鈥 included in this initiative. Its pupils were 鈥渞eally nervous鈥 about the prospect of seeing their former peers from other schools when they attended a recent conference of student representatives. 鈥淏ut we had acceptance there of all pupils. We’re getting them to challenge in the right way, and collaborate together.鈥 Each school in the trust is also creating a student-led safeguarding board to 鈥渃hallenge poor behaviour and language鈥. This September, Marches took on 鈥榠nadequate鈥-rated , in Shifnal. Ofsted had found some pupils experienced 鈥渇requent sexual harassment鈥 from their peers. 鈥淎n awful lot of work鈥 has been done since then by Idsall鈥檚 school community, including its safeguarding board, to create 鈥渃ulture change鈥. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all going to have differences. But listening to each other is important.鈥 Sarah Finch with her sister Jane Bank blues Finch refined her own listening skills by taking an MA in coaching and mentoring at Birmingham University. This taught her how to 鈥済et the best out of people by deeper listening鈥, and has proven particularly helpful when dealing with tricky parents. 鈥淭he frustration is just seeping out of them sometimes. You might not have the answer, but it鈥檚 about that quietness of someone truly just letting them talk.鈥 Many years before that, she graduated in history from Birmingham before embarking on what she hoped would be a 鈥済lamorous鈥 career in marketing in London. But the three years she spent working for a bank were a 鈥済reying experience鈥 and the culture was 鈥渜uite cutthroat鈥. It was a blessing in disguise when her entire street was burgled, as she spent the insurance money taking Jane on holiday to Cancun. 鈥淭hat was the first time I got to spend time, just me and her, and to understand who she really was.鈥 The pair were on the beach when Finch had the epiphany to go into teaching, and returned to Birmingham for her PGCE. She 鈥渓oved it from the get-go鈥, enthusiastically staying up until 3am preparing lesson plans. Sarah Finch and her mum The innovative maverick Finch started her teaching career at Riddlesdown High School (now Riddlesdown Collegiate) in Croydon, one of the country鈥檚 first grant-maintained schools, before moving to Frank F. Harrison School. She got her first leadership role, assistant head at Haywood High school (now Hereford Academy), working under 鈥渋nnovative maverick鈥 John Sheppard. The school was in a poorer area of town and the 鈥渃ommunity felt isolated 鈥 everything that was good in Hereford was over the bridge鈥. But after getting PE status, the school applied to become one of the country鈥檚 first academies 鈥 getting the go-ahead in 2008 as then prime minister Gordon Brown restarted the academisation drive. A year later, Finch was appointed headteacher at Marches School 鈥 where she had worked previously as a teacher. Finch describes the next few years as 鈥減henomenal鈥 after it gained 鈥榦utstanding鈥 ratings and she became a national leader of education to help underperforming schools improve. Sarah Finch Planets colliding In 2011, Marches became a converter academy. She said the school was 鈥渕assively underfunded鈥 and making the academisation leap in the 鈥渇irst tranche鈥 meant they got additional funding. It was used to hire two more teachers. Parents frustrated their children were having to travel almost an hour to the nearest sixth form college when they finished their GCSEs, agreed to the academisation on the condition that the school opened its own sixth form. While the school had failed in previous attempts to do so, 鈥渢he planets collided鈥 when the retirement home next door went up for sale. The site was secured and the sixth form built for less than 拢1 million, which Finch says was a 鈥渕assive achievement鈥 that made pupils 鈥渕ore aspirational鈥. The sixth form is now 鈥渏ust shy鈥 of the 250 pupils it requires to make it financially sustainable. Finch moved to executive head and then chief executive of the Marches academy trust in 2014. Like many trusts, Marches is battling with teacher recruitment and retention amid 鈥渢he disillusionment of all teachers鈥, with many 鈥渞eally good teachers鈥 leaving in the last year. Because Shropshire 鈥渋sn’t funded as well as other local authorities鈥, she is 鈥渧ery prudent鈥 and staffing ratios 鈥渁ren’t as generous鈥 as elsewhere. About 82 per cent of its budget is spent on teaching staff. Some classes have had to be doubled up at times due to staff shortages, with teachers having to 鈥渄ig deep when that’s happening鈥. In response to feedback over 鈥渏ust how tired staff were鈥, Finch introduced a two-week October half term holiday in 2020-21 to 鈥渕ake the term more manageable鈥, and claims pupils鈥 are more resilient that term as a result. It鈥檚 something other trusts and Shropshire Council is also consulting on. Last year trust-wide collaboration days were launched on top of inset days, in which 鈥渟taff work together on how to develop their learning鈥. 鈥淐hildren are at home for the day, but with the understanding we鈥檙e going to make a difference in the classroom. It’s giving people that headspace to get on top of things.鈥 Finch recently covered for a staff member off on long term sickness (despite being 鈥渢old off by everybody鈥 for doing so), and discovered she hasn鈥檛 lost her love for the profession. 鈥淚f you enjoy your job, it isn’t a job. That’s how I still feel about teaching.鈥