Why the West100 was personal for me

Ellie Cox-Davies

Assistant headteacher, Exeter

Completing the West100 has been an absolute joy.

Challenging? Yes.

A big commitment? Indeed—especially the webinars after a long day.

Worth it? 100%.

A personal mission for social justice

As a child from a disadvantaged background who grew up in a rural village in the South West, I have always been deeply committed to social justice.

I went into teaching to help students who faced similar barriers to their learning. My first senior leadership role was as the lead for Pupil Premium. Researching the impact of disadvantage on everything from reading ages to future earnings—and even life expectancy—opened my eyes to the entrenched gap that seems to be an accepted truth in the South West.

Fueled with determination and an ambition to change the landscape for these children, I was lucky enough to work with a group of leaders in my trust who had been part of earlier cohorts of SW100. I had experienced the impact of their participation: their growth, their insights from school visits and residentials, and their mindset of hope, determination, and sky-high expectations. I knew this was something I desperately wanted to do: to develop my leadership and create a vision of the school I want to, one day, lead.

Inspiration & connection

The timing had to be right for me, my family, and my role in school. There is a lot to think about, organise, and be prepared for. The opportunities it has allowed me, however, have been totally worth the investment. Not least is that I have been privileged to meet and build a network with an amazing group of school leaders who share the same vision, determination, and ambition for our children.

The facilitation from the wonderful team at The Reach Foundation has been impressive. They have provided us with thought-provoking, interesting, and inspiring challenges, balancing this by being humble, caring, and fun individuals. The school visits to some of the highest-performing schools in the country have been eye-opening, provocative, and simply brilliant. They made visible the practice and leadership that can—and are—changing lives for underserved children and their communities.

Shifting practice & finding my voice

In terms of shaping my current practice, the programme has engendered a renewed sense of hope and belief in the possibilities for challenging the underperformance of our most underserved children and the wider communities we serve.

I have looked forensically at teaching, learning, and curriculum, and I have challenged my own thinking on what excellent teaching looks like across a school. I have also looked at culture and the ways that leaders can build schools which are genuinely ambitious, inclusive, hopeful, and reflective of the community at their heart.

As for the future… well… taking part in this has given me the confidence and self-belief that a shy, quirky, intelligent, but once under-performing and disaffected girl from a disadvantaged background absolutely has a place in shaping the future of education in the South West.