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‘Superhead’ Martin is all set to take on another challenging role
A teacher is quickly earning a reputation as one of Lancashire's "superheads."
Martin Burgess, 58, from Oakworth, has been appointed to take over a second failing Lancashire school in the role of head teacher.
After leading Skerton Community High School, in Lancaster, out of special measures, the father of twins has now been asked to work his magic at another struggling school - Shuttleworth College, in Burnley.
But the "hero head" shrugs off any allusions to having a magic wand.
He said: "I say this every time when they talk about the teacher making the school - a head teacher is only as good as the staff he has got and the kids they have got.
"It is about making things happen rather than solving problems. The last thing I have is a magic wand, a Harry Potter headship!
"It would be great if I had."
Although he grew up in Kent, Mr Burgess taught at Buttershaw School, in Bradford, for five years before teaching in Lancashire since 1982.
He has lived locally for 20 years with his wife, Gill, who is the head teacher at Windhill Primary School, in Shipley.
He said: "My wife and I enjoy living in Keighley, it is a nice area. We both wanted to move to an area nearer our jobs."
Although he did not always want to become a head teacher, Mr Burgess said that key to a successful school is encouraging children to believe in themselves.
He said: "What you do as a teacher - you liberate in the young what they have it in them to be.
"You help them become that person that they are capable of becoming.
"You get them to see the positives for themselves and to be confident in what they are doing and get them to believe they can do it."
But Mr Burgess is not going to let the pressure of his second challenging school get to him.
He said: "The first few days it has been pandemonium, everybody wants a piece of me.
"There are 80 staff here, everybody, one after the other, wants to come up and talk to you and the kids are all saying are you our new head teacher?' "
11:32am Friday 9th May 2008
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