WHAT I’M CALLED: Sue Croft

MY AGE IN YEARS: 53

WHAT I DO: I am the principal at Oxford Spires Academy

WHERE I LIVE: I have just moved to a lovely village called Woodcote, in South Oxfordshire.

HAPPIEST YEAR: My happiest year was in 1983 when I married my husband David. The wedding was such fun and we loved our first house in Reading.

DARKEST MOMENT: My darkest moment was when I was woken from my sleep aged 18 to hear my mother screaming as the police had just visited our house to tell us that my 20-year-old brother had been killed on his motorbike.

PROUDEST BOAST: My proudest boast is that I am the principal of Oxford Spires Academy.

I am continually proud of the quality of the teaching and the learning of the students at Oxford Spires Academy.

I always say to the students that they are Oxford Spires’ best asset.

I am also enormously proud of my children.

WORST WEAKNESS: My worst weakness is impatience.

I do everything at a pace and work far too hard in order to ensure that everything I want to be done is done as soon as possible! Age is helping me to improve slowly!

LESSONS LEARNED: My main lessons learned are that it is possible to achieve anything in life with perseverance and optimism.

I have learnt that writing down your goals and dreams, and working steadily towards them makes them come true.

Every three months, I review and reset my personal goals around happiness, health, work and leisure.

Strangely what I declare as a goal becomes a reality.

I have learnt that having a curiosity for further learning is key to success and happiness.

DULLEST JOB: It was working in the admissions office at Bath University where I had a large red reject stamp that I had to put on to a large pile of UCCA forms now known as UCAS forms.

The job required no thinking, very little exertion, was mundane and endless and certainly did not feel productive!

GREATEST SHAME: That I cannot play the piano. Once I am retired I will master this!

LIFELONG HERO: My lifelong hero is Nelson Mandela.

I would recommend the film Invictus to all.

OLDEST FRIEND: My oldest friend is my husband.

We met at Kent University when I was 17 years old.

WIDEST SMILE: I am saving this for when I become a grandmother.

FAVOURITE DREAM: Visualising the moment when the students open their examination results and see fabulous grades reflecting their hard work.

BIGGEST REGRET: My biggest regret is being a smoker when I was younger!

Fortunately I have given up for more than 30 years.