The Worldwide Association of Female Professionals Recognizes Member, Tracy Williams
Tracy Williams is the Deputy Head teacher in one of the largest schools in east London, UK. She is responsible for her school’s curriculum development, assessment of learning and for learning, policy development and review, staff training and development as well as the mentoring and coaching of newly qualified teachers. In the 1990’s Tracy attended Strawberry Hill University in Twickenham, London and gained a BA hons in Education with Qualified Teacher Status. This was followed up in 2005 where Tracy studied with the OU and achieved an MA in Education with the focus on Educational Leadership and Management. She then successfully completed the National Qualification for Headship in 2010.
To date, Tracy’s career in educational leadership has been consistent and sustained with over 15 years’ experience working in a total of 6 schools, all within the inner London boroughs of Brent, Westminster and Hackney. Tracy demonstrates, drive, enthusiasm and commitment in her role of ensuring that the school’s strategic objectives for ongoing improvement are achieved and celebrated. As a key member in the school’s senior leadership team, Tracy leads teams of staff, works in partnership with a range of external agencies and supports parents in order to ensure that the best educational provision meets the needs of all children and works to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged learners and those from more affluent backgrounds.
Tracy’s achievements consist of successfully establishing, from scratch, libraries in 3 schools and implementing national initiatives such as the Literacy Strategy, Sport for All, Magic Breakfast, Achievement for All and Enabling Enterprise. She has also participated in shadowing the processes of two school inspections carried out by the UK’s OFSTED organisation. These gave her invaluable insight into how school standards and performance are measured and evaluated for impact. Tracy has used her insights to the benefit of her schools and has been part of leadership teams that have experienced successful school inspections in 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2016.
In 2016, Tracy was seconded to another school in Hackney where she coached the Learning Mentor and Early Years Education Leader. This improved pupil behaviour at lunch times as well as the attainment and provision for 6 years olds in relation to outdoor learning. Tracy also established protocol for the school’s recycling system and created the beginnings of the school’s choir. Tracy’s leadership successes also include periods where schools have undergone periods of challenge and transition such as long term building programs and staff re-structuring. Here, she has used her ability to utilize the school’s human and non-human resources to build capacity and in doing so, maintained staff morale, parent confidence and pupils’ motivation to continue learning and achieving.
Equality, diversity and inclusion are core values that inspire and motivate her in the pursuit of her educational and personal aspirations. What Tracy is most proud of are the opportunities where she and her pupils have worked to promote these values over the years through partnering with Dr Jak Beula, founder of the ‘Nubian Jak Community Trust’ and their work with English National Heritage. Tracy facilitated school projects to commemorate Blue Plaques to mark buildings once occupied by historical figures and pioneers; Tracy’s pupils have participated at events to celebrate Mary Seacole, Ignatius Sanchos, Bob Marley and Frederick Douglas. They have given speeches, performed at London’s Royal Court Theatre, had their work exhibited at the Foreign Office and American Embassy and participated in a documentary that was broadcast worldwide.
These core values have led Tracy to research the need for a more diverse curriculum in British schools, inspiring her as a writer. She is now the author of ‘Stories to be Tolled’ (STBT) a series of stories for children and young adults about British Colonial History. These stories aim to inspire curiosity in the reader and initiate the desire to embark on their own learning journey about the British Empire Phenomenon, building their vocabulary, an awareness of history in a wider context and ‘connect the dots’ between the present and the past. The first two titles in the series “Caribbean Wind” and “Caribbean Rush” were written to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Empire Windrush’s journey to the UK in 1948. These will be published on Amazon and available in e-book and hard back.
Tracy also aims to develop a user content e-platform and merchandise with her stories to support schools and other learning organisations to develop their own be-spoked curriculum programs as well as to support home learning for families with an interest in this topic. Through public talks, school visits and the use of social media, Tracy shares her knowledge, thoughts and reflections as part of her own learning journey in creating ‘STBT’ and where she wants to take it in the future.
Tracy spends her leisure time reading commonwealth literature and is building her own personal library. She also enjoys travel, live music, theatre, working out and dining out. Tracy is also a songwriter and recording artist and you can download her single ‘He’s Alive’ on all streaming platforms.
Worldwide Association of Female Professionals Member, Tracy Williams, can be found on the Association Directory, where she is looking forward to networking with you.