Sian Cattaneo, the new head of the junior department at Brighton and Hove High School, would like to rid the world of greed. And she wasn't too keen on liver and onions (or maths) when she was a girl.

Sian Cattaneo, the new head of the junior department at Brighton and Hove High School, would like to rid the world of greed. And she wasn’t too keen on liver and onions (or maths) when she was a girl.

If you hadn’t become a teacher, what do you think you would have done instead? Hindsight is a great thing but I have always wanted to work in the theatre, but more on the production or even stage management side

Who would you most like to have as a pupil, if you could pick anyone?I can’t think of anybody specifically but any child who is willing to face a challenge, keen to learn and make the most of the opportunities is an ideal pupil for any teacher.

Was there any type of school dinner that you couldn’t stand when you were at school? The school that I went to served the most disgusting liver and onions which is an acquired taste for most people but especially primary school children.

What was your favourite lesson? Was there ever one you wish you could have missed?My favourite lesson was always history, I even taught history at secondary level at the beginning of my career. Maths was something I found difficult so I suppose this was one I would have been happy to miss.

So, your Desert Island disc… which record would you want with you if you were marooned on a desert island? My favourite music is often linked to a special time in my life so if I could only choose one it would probably be "Smooth" by Carlos Santana as this reminds me of our last few weeks living in Kenya. It is also good beach music for the desert island.

Do you have a favourite current artist or song? As a parent of an 18 and a 21 year old I am surrounded by a whole range of songs and I do like listening to Snow Patrol.

If you were invited to go on the television show Room 101, what one thing would you want to see gone from this world? Can you bin Greed? It is something that has really negative impact on so many things and the world would be a better place without it

Is there a television programme that you make sure you never miss? Sky TV planner is a godsend and I do like to watch "House" and programmes such as "Who Do You Think You Are".

What is your favourite film of all time and why?Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid I think this is my favourite because it is a good combination of action and drama and probably because I had a crush on Robert Redford at the time.

If you were to have a meal held in your honour and there was one space still available at the table who would you like to fill it, alive or dead? My guest of honour would be my mother who died when I was 26. She and my father invested so much in me and she never really saw what I went onto achieve. I hope she would be proud.

How do you relax away from work?Our family loves to travel and we are planning a six week trip around New England ending in New York this summer.

If you were Prime Minister for one day, what’s the first thing you’d do?I certainly wouldn’t want to be Prime Minister but I suppose I agree that we have got to get the finances sorted out before we can be realistic about the future. The wastage in the system does infuriate me.

What is special about your school? It is hard to give a definitive answer yet as I take up my post part-time from November and full-time after Christmas. One of the things that attracted me to it is that it is girls only. I know from my current experience that this is a unique environment where girls can really be themselves and this has a positive impact on their achievement.