Christan Upton - Searching for the Sparkle

Searching For The Sparkle:

A Schools Journey Of Recovery

By

Christan Upton

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the author.

KINDLE edition

The author does not wish to profit from the sale of this book therefore any profits will be donated to charity.

To an amazing little girl whom we all miss every day, her incredible friends, and a dedicated andloving team of professionals.

About the Author

Chris Upton is an experienced head teacher and teacher, having led two very different primary schools in the county of Lancashire in North West England. He has also worked as an executive head teacher for a short spell, leading a Pupil Referral Unit. He has a wide range of experience in education in differing roles, and is someone who has always found innovative ways to support young people throughout. These include setting up a brass band in a deprived area and working collaboratively to improve swimming services for disadvantaged pupils, as well as taking an active role in the strategic development of school sport that has a focus on physical activity, not just on competitive sport. More recently, Chris worked as a group of five schools to set up the Axia Learning Alliance, Lancashires first Mutual Co-operative Foundation Trust.

Originally from the island of Jersey, Chris has a keen interest in music and sport, although he spends most of his time in his personal life with his wife, Lucy, and his four children.

Preface

We have all watched terrible incidents occur on the news, having that human urge to find out more to satisfy our insatiable thirst for information. That is, until a new story comes along. But what if your life becomes intertwined with a story? You have people looking at you for direction and, no matter how low you feel, you have no option but to do the right thing and keep going.

Searching for the Sparkle is a book that reflects on the real-life events that affected Tarleton Community Primary School in the aftermath of the terror attack at the Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017. Sadly, the youngest of the twenty-two victims, at only eight years of age, was a much-loved member of the school. Her name was Saffie-Rose Roussos and her picture and story is known around the world.

This book reflects this story and the work of leading a school through recovery in an unprecedented situation for a UK primary school to face, and is written from my perspective as the head teacher of the school. It aims to provide an insight into what it is like to lead a school family, responding to their needs throughout such a challenging and traumatic period: the many downs, but also the ups. The best and worst of humanity, as well as the strength of a staff team who have focused on supporting the mental health and well-being of their pupils past and present so that they are able to thrive, despite the unjust terror and fear that has gatecrashed their childhoods. In short, searching for that little sparkle so that they could be children again.

The twists and turns that have occurred in the years following the attack may surprise you. When I have spoken about them professionally, it always seems to shock the audience, but also leads them deep into their own thoughts about how they might deal with the various issues that have arisen.

Ultimately, professionals from a variety of areas (including education) will have had a range of counterterrorism training, reflecting on preventing attacks and identifying potential threats to the authorities appropriately. However, there seems to be little training and experience that reflects on what happens after an attack, what to expect, and, most importantly, how to support people of varying ages in their journey of recovery.

This book provides a unique perspective on the highs and lows of recovery, using firsthand experiences, with the aim of informing and supporting others. If the effects of terrorism could reach Tarleton Community Primary School, then they could reach any of you. The work that has occurred behind the scenes has always focused on learning from such a unique situation and ensuring that, should another school go through a similar situation, they are well supported.

It must also be remembered that, despite what the community has gone through, no one can imagine the continued pain and suffering of the Roussos family, who wake up every day without their beloved little girl. Theirs is a life sentence.

Throughout the recovery process, I have always maintained contact with Andrew and Lisa Roussos, Saffies parents. This has been important at key times in the recovery process, such as the first anniversary of their daughters death. We have always spoken openly as the excruciating issues have arisen, and the family have always been fully aware that this book was being written without their blessing, you simply wouldnt be reading it now.

Many people over the last few years have told me to write this book. Not only to highlight the need for continued support for the victims of terror, but also because it is an unbelievable true story of doing the right thing, battling for support, and the kindness of both strangers and celebrities, with a beautiful little girl at its centre who must never be forgotten.

Contents

Introduction

How do you tell two hundred and seventy-six primary school-aged children that their friend has died? Even worse, that they have died in the most terrible circumstances? Murdered in a terror attack. There is no answer to that question, and it is a question that few people would ever consider, let alone need to answer. It was certainly a question that I had never considered, and yet the day before I was forced to do so, I stood blissfully unaware, welcoming children and their parents into our school as I always did. Their world and mine, like so many others, would soon change forever.

I was eight months into my second headship in the Lancashire village of Tarleton, approximately ten miles south west of the city of Preston and, after the initial battles you face when taking over a school, things were going well. Having upset the locals by stopping the afternoon drop-offs in the school car park, Id been forgiven, and the staff were getting used to my impatience.

On that particular morning, 22 May 2017, I was greeted by some very excited sisters who came to hurriedly tell me that they were going to a concert that evening at the Manchester Arena. Who are you going to see? I asked. The simultaneous and enthusiastic reply came straight back at me: Ariana Grande. I didnt hide the fact that I had never heard of her. I was a man in my late thirties, much above my fighting weight, and certainly did not fit the demographic of her fan base. I teased them, asking if they wanted to listen to some proper music instead, perhaps some Iron Maiden a band, of course, that they had never heard of. I guess that is the great thing about music; different artists affect us all differently. I was delighted for them, though. What lucky girls, to go to such a concert at such an iconic venue they were surely the envy of their friends, and I looked forward to seeing them bounce into school the next day to tell me all about it. This, of course, would never happen.

The rest of the day was much like any other. The general routines of running a primary school: dropping into classes, picking up emails, meetings and the odd bit of paperwork, and then back out on the gate at the end of the school day something I have always done to ensure that, as a head teacher, parents and children have access to me, so that any niggly issues can be resolved and the children leave happy.