Who or what makes you laugh until it hurts?
Other people’s misfortunes – as long as they’re not too badly hurt!
What would your superpower be?
I used to work around the corner from where I live. Now that I travel much further afield, the power of teleportation would be fabulous.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to you?
When I left headship, I was presented with a book which had really lovely comments from all the staff and children. One of my favourites, and the funniest, came from a Reception child: “I don’t know what she does, but she has yellow hair like me.”
What’s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?
In my leavers’ production at primary school, I was chuffed to get the role of the Tin Man. On the night of the performance, I was very nervous and accidentally asked the Wizard of Oz for a brain rather than a heart. The scarecrow was angry that I’d stolen his thunder, and we ended up having a row in the middle of stage.
What’s your mantra?
Reach for the stars (S Club 7 style)
She enjoys rising to a challenge. Occasionally, people arrive at Laughology sessions not knowing what to expect or feeling slightly cynical. For example, someone once said to her: ‘I was expecting jazz hands, fake fun and balloon animals.’ Without a balloon in sight, she always manages to change people’s perceptions in the first few minutes.
Sarah has worked in banks, retail, customer service, education and learning and development. As a result, she enjoys supporting people from all types of industries and organisations.
In a past life, Sarah was a leader herself, so she really does understand the highs of leadership, as well as the challenges.
Within two years of being in the role, Sarah successfully led her team through a time of culture change and rapid improvement. This involved raising aspirations and standards and improving outcomes, whilst maintaining a happy and positive environment. She achieved all of this, alongside managing a £7m rebuild and expansion programme.
As well as going out and about delivering for Laughology, Sarah is also our Internal Lead for People, Learning and Development. This involves leading and managing a bunch of very lively, extremely funny, creative thinkers. Think herding cats … and then some!
Sarah’s had a varied career, working with banks, businesses, retail, educational and sporting organisations, supporting their learning and development needs before becoming a head teacher.
