Whoever takes up the mantle of head teacher at Papa Westray School in Orkney can expect their new community to roll out the red carpet upon their arrival.
The council has been on the hunt for a new head teacher since the end of last year. Known locally as Papay, the little island of 64 people and nine students are keen to welcome a new leader.
Small community schools offer a different style of learning and teaching. While the setting isn’t a fit for everyone, students and staff on Papay sing their school’s praises.
‘Peedie but powerful’
Former head teacher Tim Ross was recently appointed to Westray Junior High School. He oversees the school on Papay one day a week to help out Karl Simpson, the acting principal teacher.
Mr Ross said Papay is a great place for any teacher.
“It may be peedie, but it’s powerful, and it provides wonderful opportunities to work with a committed staff team.
“As a teacher, the potential for capitalising on Curriculum for Excellence, and autonomy for planning exciting teaching and learning is very rewarding.”
Westray and Papay work closely as neighbours, and Mr Ross said he’ll continue to be a supportive partner.
Mr Ross’s appointment illustrates one of the difficulties facing many island schools. Sometimes, it can take a year, maybe longer to replace a head teacher in the islands.
Last summer, Westray Junior High launched an appeal for a new head teacher, and council officers geared up for what could have been a long process.
Luckily, they managed to appoint Mr Ross. But there are two sides to internal recruitment. The new teacher is familiar with the islands and how schools operate, but suddenly there is another vacancy to fill.
School ‘like no other’
Still, a small island school has plenty working in its favour.
Mr Simpson said that he’s never seen a school community like the one on Papay. From invites to family dinners to staff all showing up for a pupil’s birthday party, the line between school and community is happily blurred.
“Where else would that happen?” he asked. “I have never felt more welcome in a school or a community. But that is an important part of whoever is successfully appointed – they must want to be part of the close-knit community.
“It’s an integral part of the role for that commitment to the residents as well.”
Papa Westray ‘just like a small family’
Ten-year-old Eva moved to the island with her family in October 2022 from Somerset at the other end of the UK.
She left a 200-pupil school and a class of around 30. At Papay, she’s in a P1-P7 composite class of five.
But she quickly adapted to her new surroundings and came to love the style of learning Papay has to offer.
“I love the school!” she says. “Everyone has been really welcoming and friendly, not just at the school but the whole island. They were very supportive and helped a lot. The school is just like a small family.”
Find out more about Papa Westray’s head teacher position
You can visit the Orkney Islands Council’s website to learn more about the head teacher position at Papa Westray.
The full-time post pays £58,128 per year and includes a Remote and Distant Islands Allowance to help with the move to the islands.
Read more from the Schools and Family team
‘We just want what’s best for our children’: Why is it so hard to recruit teachers to our islands?
Walk to School Week: Orkney pupils with an unconventional route to school
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