by Lorraine Gibson.

Hillside First School’s new headteacher has pledged to put children at the heart of everything they do and plans to use its spacious grounds for more outside learning, via a ‘Forest School’ and the creation of new sporting opportunities.
Dave Graves, pictured right, has been working in Dorset schools, both in the classroom and as a senior leader, for 13 years; he was Deputy Head at Parley First School and prior to that, an operations manager at Barclays Bank.

The new Verwood school head, who is married to a teacher and has two children, said: “Above all we want the children to be happy, in a nurturing and supportive school environment.
“We want them to believe in themselves, know that we believe in them too and to have big dreams – with hard work and a good plan anything is possible.
“We want to foster entrepreneurialism, teamwork and collaboration and to give them confidence to present to their class in a way that will help prepare them for the future.”
Of being part of Wimborne Academy Trust he says: “It’s a huge advantage because of the support and the sharing of expertise and experience.
“We’d love parents to come and visit and have a look around.”
Liz West, CEO of the Trust, said: “We’re delighted to have Dave at Hillside.
“He has plenty of experience at teaching and in leadership roles in schools and brings experience from outside the education sector.”