Initially drawn to careers relating to crime and disease, Danielle Pacey found pathobiology and dove headfirst into that degree, keeping her previous teaching and coaching as a backup. Nearing the end of her degree, during a project about “recombinant DNA” the lab was too hot for the experiment, so it did not work. It was at that point Danielle had an epiphany: research was not right for her, so she turned to her backup career, being a teacher, and her continued journey is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to personal growth. 

To start this new path, she got tasters of teaching before deciding to pursue this full time and got a PGCE in teaching. While completing this and a training year she remembers that despite colleagues expressing desires to “just be a better teacher,” her ambition and love of science propelled her to aspire to a leadership role and for part of her training year she got a placement so that is what she did. 

Her placement was in a deprived London area where many students came from challenged backgrounds. She learned many things in her first year there, after which she secured a job and, on her second year, she achieved the promotion to head of key stage 3. She taught there for a total of 4 years before following her passion to a larger institution that extended to the 6th form.  

In this new school she thrived. After a few years, she became head of science, overseeing 24 staff, which she loved. 8 years into her tenure, the position of assistant head arose, and she considered the opportunity. This led her to go through an extremely rigorous interview process and even though at the time she decided that this was not the right thing for her, she learned a lot from the experience. 

After the 8 years in that school, she moved to a new job in Bedford to switch roles with her husband, as he always got jobs around her. In Bedford she took the job of head of science and agriculture, before her husband noticed her current school (CAST) being built, and after which she applied for a job there and secured the role of assistant head. From there she quickly progressed to deputy head. This put her in the position to take on the job of interim head once the previous head retired which seamlessly transitioned into her securing the actual job of head teacher which is the job she holds to this day. 

As is expected, all journeys come with bumps in the road, however, Danielle's determination has always prevailed. She pushed through and got into the school she runs currently. Danielle feels that throughout her life she always picked up tips to ensure improvement to her performance each time, a trait that has resulted in a life of ongoing learning and development.