Sussex


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_head.jpg" alt="Sarah Sutherland-Booth, Headteacher of Dorset House School, Sussex" class="wp-image-83687" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_head.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_head-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_head-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_head-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_head-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>As the new Headteacher of <a href="https://sussex.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/dorset-house-school-pulborough-west-sussex/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dorset House School</a> in Sussex, Sarah Sutherland-Booth is exceptionally well qualified. She arrives having spent 14 years at Windlesham House School, where she worked her way from Reception Teacher to Senior Deputy Head, teaching every single year group as she went. Having grown up in Storrington, she&#8217;s also a local girl through and through. </p>



<p>At interview stage, Dorset House pupils had one all-important question, however: their outgoing head had a much loved dog. Would Mrs Sutherland-Booth consider getting one? Yes, she said, which is how Nova, a six-month-old Pomsky named for new beginnings, came bounding into her life. </p>



<p>The Headteacher and her pup joined the school in January and both are already receiving glowing reports from the children. She credits one of her own primary school teachers for inspiring a career that she set her heart on aged nine but she does still nurture one other professional dream. </p>



<p>Read on to discover what she&#8217;d be doing if she weren&#8217;t teaching, which 90s rock ballad she belts out when no one&#8217;s around to hear, and what item on her desk sparks the most discussion among her students. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-would-the-30-second-elevator-pitch-for-your-school-be-sell-it">What would the 30-second elevator pitch for your school be? Sell it! </h3>



<p>Dorset House is a school that combines&nbsp;academic rigour with a deep commitment to preserving childhood. Every child is truly known,&nbsp;valued&nbsp;and celebrated within our close-knit community, where kindness is the&nbsp;golden&nbsp;thread that&nbsp;is woven through everything we do. We nurture confident, curious young people who are proud of their school, relish challenge, and learn with joy. Dorset House is a place where children thrive as individuals.&nbsp;It’s&nbsp;a school that remembers what really matters.&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-your-vision-for-the-school-s-future">What your vision for the school&#8217;s future? </h3>



<p>The beauty of Dorset House is that it has a really strong foundation but there are things in our Year 7 and 8 curriculum that I want to enhance, including life skills and careers. We are also looking slightly longer term to develop our boarding provision. It&#8217;s idyllic and wonderful –&nbsp;like something out of Enid Blyton – and we want to bring in more boarders.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_tree.jpg" alt="Children at Dorset House School, Sussex" class="wp-image-83686" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_tree.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_tree-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_tree-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_tree-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_tree-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-were-given-a-1m-donation-how-would-you-spend-it">If you were given a £1m donation, how would you spend it? </h3>



<p>If money really were no object, I would put a roof on the swimming pool, and I&#8217;d appoint a dedicated drama teacher. From a school development plan point of view, we&#8217;re looking at creating a wellbeing space, and developing the classroom learning spaces.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-your-own-childhood-school-days-nbsp">Describe your own childhood school days. <strong>&nbsp;</strong></h3>



<p>I loved school. Childhood back in the 80s was completely different and I feel so grateful that I grew up in that era. I spent a lot of time studying but also playing outside with my friends, coming back when it got dark – the joy of no technology or phones!&nbsp;If I wasn&#8217;t outdoors I was sitting in a corner somewhere with my head in a book. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-was-there-a-theme-to-your-school-reports">Was there a theme to your school reports? </h3>



<p>I was a very hard working, academic child but I&nbsp;definitely needed&nbsp;to develop my sporting skills. It just wasn&#8217;t my forte although I would absolutely have loved the sporting provision of today. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-were-your-best-and-worst-subjects">What were your best and worst subjects? </h3>



<p>English was my favourite and best subject by far.&nbsp;I loved the literature element but I was also fascinated by language. I didn&#8217;t enjoy the humanities as&nbsp;much&nbsp;but I put that down to the teachers rather than the subject. I think who you have teaching you is a massive influence on your experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-did-you-have-a-favourite-teacher">Did you have a favourite teacher? </h3>



<p>Miss Law at primary school. She was&nbsp;kind and&nbsp;dedicated and I loved listening to her read stories.&nbsp;In a class of 34 children, I always felt seen. Largely because of her, teaching was all I ever wanted to do from the age of nine. I would line my teddies up and spend hours playing schools. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-where-did-you-go-to-university-and-what-did-you-study">Where did you go to university and what did you study? </h3>



<p>I went to Roehampton and I did English language and linguistics with teaching. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-describe-nbsp-what-s-nbsp-on-your-nbsp-desk-i-can-see-a-large-pot-of-legami-pens">Describe&nbsp;what’s&nbsp;on your&nbsp;desk. I can see a large pot of Legami pens! </h3>



<p>Yes, the pens are a source of much discussion among the children. I like a tidy desk but I also like to have things written down, so my daily planner moves with me. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-there-anything-interesting-in-nbsp-your-nbsp-top-drawer-nbsp-nbsp">Is there anything interesting in&nbsp;your&nbsp;top drawer?&nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;</strong></h3>



<p>Dog food? I also have my nice pen and cards, because a hand-written card goes a long way. I write birthday cards to all the children, too. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-nbsp-weren-t-nbsp-a-nbsp-head-nbsp-what-would-you-be-nbsp-nbsp">If you&nbsp;weren’t&nbsp;a&nbsp;Head&nbsp;what would you be?&nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;</strong></h3>



<p>My other dream is to have a children&#8217;s bookshop with a coffee shop because I love baking. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tell-us-about-your-nbsp-favourite-book-as-a-child-and-in-adulthood-nbsp-nbsp">Tell us about your&nbsp;favourite book, as a child and in adulthood.&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>



<p><em>The Magic Far Away Tree</em> without a doubt. The way it transports you to another world is amazing and I have continued to read it to children throughout my teaching career.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As an adult I love&nbsp;<em>The&nbsp;Boy the Mole, the Fox and the Horse</em> because it teaches us so much about&nbsp;self-belief&nbsp;and friendship. Also, <em>The Book With No Pictures</em> because it never fails to make children laugh.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-nbsp-the-best-school-trip-nbsp-you-ve-nbsp-ever-been-on-as-a-pupil-or-a-professional">What’s&nbsp;the best school trip&nbsp;you’ve&nbsp;ever been on, as a pupil or a professional? </h3>



<p>As a child, one of the best trips I went on was to the Norfolk Broads. More recently, it would probably be the French trip at Windlesham House School. Cultural immersion is really important when learning languages and we had so much fun. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_shoelaces.jpg" alt="Children at Dorset House School, Sussex" class="wp-image-83685" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_shoelaces.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_shoelaces-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_shoelaces-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/03/Dorset_House_shoelaces-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-do-you-have-any-advice-nbsp-that-you-wish-could-give-to-your-nbsp-younger-self-and-what-advice-do-you-most-consistently-pass-along-to-your-students-nbsp">Do you have any advice&nbsp;that you wish could give to your&nbsp;younger self? And what advice do you most consistently pass along to your students?&nbsp;</h3>



<p>If I were to say anything to my younger self it would be don&#8217;t be so hard on yourself, and continue to believe in yourself – never give up on your dreams. </p>



<p>To students I say enjoy the moment, work hard and be kind.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-if-you-want-to-hide-from-the-nbsp-children-nbsp-and-staff-for-half-an-hour-where-do-you-go-nbsp">If you want to hide from the&nbsp;children&nbsp;and staff for half an hour, where do you go?   &nbsp;</h3>



<p>I haven&#8217;t felt like that yet but if I did, I would take Nova for a walk. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-nbsp-song-nbsp-do-nbsp-you-sing-at-full-volume-when-nbsp-everyone-s-nbsp-gone-home-nbsp">What&nbsp;song&nbsp;do&nbsp;you sing at full volume when&nbsp;everyone’s&nbsp;gone home?&nbsp;</h3>



<p>Iris by the Goo&nbsp;Goo&nbsp;Dolls, hands down. I absolutely love that song. I remember someone playing it to me once and saying, it makes me think of you, and from then it&#8217;s been my banger. </p>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-nbsp-the-biggest-change-that-nbsp-you-ve-nbsp-witnessed-nbsp-in-education-over-the-course-of-your-career-nbsp-nbsp">What’s&nbsp;the biggest change that&nbsp;you’ve&nbsp;witnessed&nbsp;in education over the course of your career?&nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;</strong></h3>



<p>Technology. We have a real duty to ensure the children are educated in how to use it effectively, and when not to use it. It is a really powerful tool but it needs to be handled carefully and it&#8217;s not the be all and end all. </p>



<p>You can read Muddy&#8217;s review of Dorset House School <a href="https://sussex.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/school-reviews/dorset-house-school-pulborough-west-sussex/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. </p>



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<p><strong><em>In the mood for more? </em></strong></p>



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<li><a href="https://sussex.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/whats-on/march-madness-18-things-to-do-locally-this-month/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mad about March! 50+ things to do near you in Sussex this month</a> </li>
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Head’s up: Sarah Sutherland-Booth, Dorset House School

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