insideKENT Magazine Issue 23 - February 2014 | Page 139

Q&A with The Towers School
& Sixth Form Centre new Principal
Richard Billings
Where did you go to school?
I went to a large comprehensive school in Welwyn
Garden City in Hertfordshire where I studied my
O Levels and A Levels.
What was your favourite subject,
and why?
My favourite subject in school was
mathematics. Everyone always remembers their
inspirational teachers and mine was my
mathematics teacher. He captured everyone’s
attention the moment he walked in the room and
everyone thrived for success due to his dedication
to teaching. I have a very analytical brain and
therefore the rights and wrongs, the black and
the white of mathematics appeal to me – there
are no grey areas.

Tell us about your school.
Towers School and Sixth Form Centre has huge
potential; it has excellent facilities and dedicated
staff. I have a vision to make it the first choice
school for all parents in the Ashford Community.
We will be offering dedicated pathways, both
academic and vocational. I need to be honest –
improvements need to be made and my
dedicated team of senior leaders and teachers
will have to ensure these systems are put in place
this year. I will be offering an additional Open
Evening at the end of term 3 where parents and
students will be invited to the school to see the
changes that are taking place. The school will
pride itself on vision, expectation and achievement
but not forgetting the overarching care of the
children in our charge.

What do you think you’d have done if you
hadn’t gone into teaching?
At the age of 17 I was on course to join the RAF
as an Officer, and I think if I hadn’t gone to
university I would have pursued this career.

What is your school’s proudest moment?
For me, the question will be what will be our
proudest moment. Sometimes the answer to this
is not a quantitative measure such as Ofsted,
but a qualitative measure of the reputation of the

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school in the local community. A child only has
one chance at education so I have the huge
responsibility of securing the best outcomes for
the students during this one chance.
What does your school have planned for
the next year?
Many changes will take place over the next year;
many of these changes will be visible to the
community and all its stakeholders. My arrival
will be used as a vehicle for change. I will bring
with me high expectations and the journey to
good and then outstanding will be fast and
effective.

The Towers School & Sixth Form Centre
Faversham Road
Kennington
TN24 9AL
01233 634 171
www.towers.kent.sch.uk