Berkshire


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CAROLINET.jpg" alt="Caroline Townshend Crosfields School" class="wp-image-185635" /></figure>



<p>Caroline Townshend <a href="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/new-head-at-crosfields-school-reading-berkshire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">joined the Crosfields family in April 2023</a>, moving her young family from London (where she was Head at London’s Eaton Square Senior (now London Park School Mayfair) to start a new adventure in the Berkshire countryside. She’s a cool, calm impressive woman – and the first female head in the school’s history. When she’s not running a school, you might find her reading a psychology book (her career Plan B) or sneaking in a hour of calm at 6am before her three children wake up. Muddy sat down for a cuppa and a chat.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CROSFIELDS1.jpg" alt="Crosfields School" class="wp-image-185638" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-your-30-second-elevator-pitch-for-your-school-sell-it">What&#8217;s your <strong>30-second elevator pitch for your school – sell it!</strong></h2>



<p>The perfect balance of support and challenge to develop well-rounded children who possess a strong set of values and individual character. So, not a one-size-fits-all approach; I believe that bringing out the best in each child is really important. We also want our children to be innovative, creative, critical and thoughtful. These days, school plays an important role in engaging children beyond just subject content. For me, they need to go out into the world asking those sorts of creative, critical and thoughtful questions from a place of real value and curiosity.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-who-would-you-choose-to-play-you-in-a-movie">Who would you choose to play you in a movie?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Snapinsta.app_357430844_1309431166618559_3828969186076309280_n_1080.jpg" alt="Anne Hathaway" class="wp-image-185640" /></figure>



<p>My first choice is Anne Hathaway. <em>The Devil Wears Prada</em> is one of my favourite films, and Anne Hathaway comes across as authentic, committed to the cause, and actually holds her own and gets there in the end in her leadership role. Or a younger Olivia Coleman. No insult to Olivia Coleman: I think she&#8217;s warm, she&#8217;s engaging, she&#8217;s got a really good presence and she&#8217;s charismatic. In leadership roles it&#8217;s about striking that balance between being authentic while having presence and being able to lead others.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-were-given-a-1m-donation-for-the-school-what-would-you-spend-it-on"><strong>If you were given a £1m donation for the school, what would you spend it on?</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CROSFIELDS3.jpg" alt="Crosfields School" class="wp-image-185641" /></figure>



<p>That would be great, possibly the highlight of my career. My next step would be to build a beautiful performing arts centre here with lovely glass walls overlooking the fields to give a real sense of linking with the outdoor space. We do so much in our Juniors around class performances and promoting the development of the individual voice in each child. I think for them to then grow up into that lovely performing arts space would be a fantastic addition.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-your-own-childhood-school-days"><strong>Describe your own childhood school days?</strong></h2>



<p>Very mixed. I went from a very relaxed California school setting in Menlo Park – both my parents worked in Silicon Valley – to moving to Amersham in Buckinghamshire where I went to a couple of different private schools, including St Mary&#8217;s School in Gerrards Cross, then Chesham Grammar for GCSEs. In total I went to nine different schools, because we moved around in California too, so I a saw a huge mix of styles and approaches to teaching.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-was-the-common-theme-of-your-school-reports">What was the common theme of your school reports?</h2>



<p>Fiercely independent, organised, absolutely committed to areas that I loved and possibly less committed to those I felt didn&#8217;t have a reason or a purpose. I specialised quite early in that sense of really knowing where my areas of interest lay. I swam a huge amount outside of school and competed at national level. For training, I would do up to 26 hours in the pool and four hours in the gym every week on top of the school day, so I had to be good at prioritising.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-did-you-have-a-favourite-teacher">Did you have a favourite teacher?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CROSFIELDS6.jpg" alt="Crosfields School" class="wp-image-185644" /></figure>



<p>I remember a favourite and a worst! When I started at my grammar school, I didn&#8217;t have a love for French. But then I had the most wonderful teacher for GCSEs, came out with an A* and loved French to the extent I chose it for A-level. Then I got a new teacher and and it was incredible how my passion for the subject evaporated within that first term. I often reflect on these two different teachers because it shows how much can depend on the teaching.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-and-worst-subjects">Best and worst subjects?</h2>



<p>I loved P.E., Psychology and Biology and my worst subject was French – in fact, languages overall.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-did-you-go-to-university">Where did you go to university?</h2>



<p>I went to Southampton and initially studied psychology. I absolutely loved it. Southampton had a big watersports community, so having grown up in an outdoors environment in California I met a lot of like-minded people.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-weren-t-a-head-which-career-would-you-choose">If you weren&#8217;t a Head, which career would you choose?</h2>



<p>I love psychology so I would have gone down that route and become a clinical psychologist. Actually, for a while I did choose that path, and started a Master&#8217;s in psychology. Without a doubt, that&#8217;s a huge passion. And if I didn&#8217;t do anything to do with psychology, people and children, then I&#8217;d probably run a travel company, because I love to travel. I still might one day.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-what-s-on-your-work-desk">Describe what&#8217;s on your work desk</h2>



<p>Photos of children, a copy of the school&#8217;s prospectus, our strategy and vision, a number of to-do lists and my motivational knitted avocado.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-favourite-books">Favourite books?</h2>



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<p>With my younger children hat on, I love the Rachel Bright and Jim Field books like <em>The Lion Inside</em> and <em>The Squirrels Who Squabbled</em>. I think they&#8217;re brilliant books – they&#8217;re all about helping little people find their way with big voices. I also love <em>One Plus One Equals Three: A Masterclass in Creative Thinking</em> by Dave Trott – it&#8217;s a compilation of short stories that I often reflect on and sometimes read in assembly. And I recommend <em>Lean In</em> by Sheryl Sandberg to a lot of older girls. I think she&#8217;s great. Finally, <em>The 5am Club</em> by Robin Sharma is coming into its own since I&#8217;ve become a parent, because if you get up at at the same time as your children, you&#8217;re on the back foot for the rest of the day. I get up at 6am – or a bit earlier sometimes. It gives me a moment of calm before starting the day. I write my to-do list the night before.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-school-trip">Best school trip</h2>



<p>My favourite was an A-level trip to Morocco at one of the previous schools I worked at. We went out to the desert, to the Atlas Mountains and Marrakesh. It was just amazing.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-favourite-film">Favourite film</h2>



<p>I think <em>Inside Out</em> has been a brilliant movie to help children identify different moods. We have zones of regulation in each classroom coming up through the juniors, and that tied in really nicely with Children&#8217;s Mental Health Week in February, when we featured <em>Inside Out</em>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-need-to-hide-away-for-half-an-hour-where-do-you-go">If you need to hide away for half an hour, where do you go?</h2>



<p>In my office with the door closed. I&#8217;ve got a brilliant Executive Assistant who allows me protected space when it&#8217;s needed.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-any-advice-for-your-younger-self">Any advice for your younger self?</h2>



<p>Trust your gut. When I haven&#8217;t done that in the past, that&#8217;s where it hasn&#8217;t worked. And don&#8217;t let yourself or other people limit your own goals. I tell the children regularly that I have achieved far more than I thought I would achieve, but we can be our own worst critics when we set ourselves limits – and don&#8217;t let other people tell you what you&#8217;re capable of, either. I also tell the children to think more about the process, rather than worrying about outcomes. If you do the right process, you can&#8217;t ask for anything more when it comes to the outcome.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-are-the-strengths-of-the-all-through-school-model">What are the strengths of the all-through school model?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/CROSFIELDS2.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-185646" /></figure>



<p>When a lot of people went to school, they went to primary or Prep school and then secondary school, and it was very much this two-school model to education. Now we see more movement than ever – for example, people moving jobs or relocating. So every year we see children joining Crosfields in different year groups, and I think the nice thing about an all-through school is that is that you pick those transition moments, as opposed to those being forced upon you. I think the strength of going to 16 for our community is that idea of mentorship and collaboration and older pupils supporting younger children. We&#8217;re able to run cross-curricular projects across all age groups, with Junior and Senior pupils working collaboratively. Having been in an all-through model in London, I am a firm believer that there are so many benefits in the one-school approach in terms of continuity of skills, knowledge, pastoral care, systems, and processes. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-do-you-think-you-ve-made-your-mark-in-your-first-two-years-in-charge"><strong>How do you think you&#8217;ve made your mark in your first two years in charge?</strong></h2>



<p>Since I joined we&#8217;ve created a new five-year strategy, and I&#8217;ve spent the past 18 months saying we&#8217;re really better as one, because we are one community. We&#8217;re one team, and my plan is to keep driving that forward. The school&#8217;s in a great place, and the future is exciting.</p>



<p><em>Crosfields is a superb all-through co-ed day school in Reading for pupils aged from 3-16 yrs. </em>R<em>ead our <a href="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/crosfields-school-reading-berkshire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Junior review</a></em> and our <a href="https://berkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/crosfields-senior-school-reading-berkshire/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Senior review </a>to find out more.</p>


Head’s Up: Caroline Townshend, of Crosfields School, Reading

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