Marton: Ben was inspired by a headteacher he worked for to become one himself

After he was inspired by a headteacher he worked for while he was a teacher, Ben Stephenson, became a headteacher himself at Marton Primary School.
Ben StephensonBen Stephenson
Ben Stephenson

Ben lives in Lincoln and is married to a nurse and they have two teenage daughters.

Ben was born and bred in Lincolnshire.

His family moved from Hampshire to Lea when his granddad took a new job at West Burton Power Station in the 1960s.

Outside of work Ben enjoys music, walking and travelling.

Ben has been headteacher at the school in Stow Park Road for almost four years and during this time the school has grown from 75 to almost 100 and the Little Gems preschool, who learn alongside the reception pupils, was launched.

Ben said: “I didn’t start my teaching career with ambitions for headship.

“One particular headteacher I worked for really inspired me.

“She had such a strong sense of conviction, a clear moral purpose, was passionate about teaching and showed great commitment to children.

“I was determined to take people forward together in the way that I had been motivated to.

“Above all, I wanted to directly influence teaching and curriculum beyond my classroom so I took the step into headship.

“The other great inspiration in my life was my grandmother who selflessly served others in challenging circumstances long past her retirement years.”

During his time at the school Marton Primary School has created the village heritage trail for the community and its visitors, reduced the school’s carbon footprint by 30 per cent saving 12 tonnes of CO2 per year and becoming a finalist of the Ashden Trust Sustainable School Awards.

Ben said: “My biggest personal achievement in headship has been the opportunity to have a voice in shaping the future in education both as the headteacher at Marton and nationally through the music education work I do.”

Music was the spark that awoke Ben’s appetite for learning and education.

He said: “I was lucky to have a family that could fund and support this interest.

“This opened my eyes to the wider inequalities and through education I have and will always seek to provide a fairer share for all.

“I never planned to be a teacher and after leaving school I did some volunteering in a primary school whilst working full time in catering and it went from there.”

During his time as headteacher at Marton Primary School Ben has needed courage, resilience, passion, judgement, empathy and patience.

Ben said: “It is essential to do what you know is right.

“When I started at Marton, we began a values based learning culture which is something I believe in very strongly.

“Watching the children learn and make connections are daily rewards, however education is not like a business where you meet a customer’s need.

“It is so much more because it is about creating the opportunities for learning that young children can’t predict that they might need or experience.

“I’ve always been determined to create really memorable lifelong experiences such as residential visits. Just recently I took our Year 5 and 6 pupils to London on the train.

“They took a flight on the London Eye and watched The Lion King as well as travelling on the tubes and seeing many of the sights.”

For the future Ben wants to continue to help Marton Primary School grow.

He said: “I hope to continue to develop and improve education for the community of Marton and our small primary partnership schools. I’d like to see Marton School become carbon neutral.

“I’m also ambitious for my daughters and will support them to achieve their goals and ambitions.”