Allison Crompton is headteacher of Middleton Technology School, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, which was singled out by Ofsted as one of 12 outstanding schools which excel against the odds. She was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours List 2011.

Smart choice

Did you always want to be a head, rather than just teach?

That’s probably fair, yes. I remember during my first job working in a school in Wigan the head came back from a year’s secondment, invited me into his office as a ‘new’ member of staff and asked what I wanted from the profession. I said I wanted his job. Luckily, he laughed. It’s the best thing in the world; among all the challenging stuff, every day something happens that makes you laugh out loud.

Why do you place so much emphasis on pupils’ uniform and appearance?

My philosophy is very simple; this is a British working-class school and when the gate closes behind you, you belong to us and you will meet our standards. Attention to appearance is a very visible signal from children that they’re ready to learn and want to be part of our community.

Every morning I’m out there with the whole team, greeting the entire school, checking what they look like. The other week, we had some visitors looking askance at our very lovely nail bar where two pupils were removing the varnish they had carefully put on the night before.

Similarly, we also recently had a group of heads visit us to look at raising boys’ achievement – an area where we’ve had some success – and they spoke to some year 11 lads. Apparently, they said, “Mrs Crompton doesn’t allow us to shave our heads because she thinks we look thuggish.” They know what’s acceptable.

Surely as a teenager you must have doctored your school uniform or bent the rules a bit?

I went to a school that didn’t have a uniform. There were no standards, no nothing. I had a Saturday job at the Co-op from the age of 13, starting at £1.83 a day, until I was 18.

I was very motivated but I fully understand the world can be a more confusing and difficult place for young people today. There are so many pressures and that’s another reason why uniforms are important; some decisions are taken away from them so it’s one less thing to worry about.

You made the headlines two years ago when you confronted a ‘knife-wielding thug’. What happened?

I was at the school gates as usual when I saw a youth in a hoodie and tracksuit bottoms – the usual garb – pass by and pull out a carving knife, brandishing it at a group of our children. I didn’t have my phone so I told the deputy to ring the police and I set off after him. The children were running around screaming.

The youth got on a bus that was filled with elderly people and young mums with toddlers and I thought, “I can’t have this”. I shouted at him to get off the bus... and he did! The police were there very quickly. He was arrested and received a custodial sentence. What went through my mind was the worst case scenario of a child being stabbed to death.

To be honest, I thought I’d got away with it; I didn’t hear anything for three weeks until a reporter phoned and told me he’d been tipped off about me being a hero. I was hoping for a quiet life but it wasn’t to be.

• Interview by John Holt

• For the Ofsted report, see http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Twelve-outstanding-secondary-schools-Excelling-against-the-odds/(language)/eng-GB

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