A Patchway primary school has advertised for a new headteacher after the previous holder of the post resigned last year.
Callicroft Primary School (in Rodway Road) is currently being overseen by Richard Clark, the headteacher at Stoke Lodge Primary School, pending the new appointment.
Mr Clark has been supporting the school in an ‘Executive Head’ role since the previous headteacher, Sandra Lakeman, left last autumn.
Writing in the Callicroft newsletter last year, Mr Clark said:
“It has obviously been a difficult time for the school as Mrs Lakeman was well loved and respected and had worked very hard to try to raise standards throughout the school.”
“Over the past two weeks I have got to know the staff and children better and have begun, with the Governors and Local Authority, to look at the future. It is vital that the main thrust of my work in the coming months will be in raising standards of achievement and progress as they are still worryingly low at present.”
“Strengthening children’s enjoyment of school and the quality of teaching and learning is fundamental to this. To help with this work Miss Chris Dursley, from Wheatfield Primary [Bradley Stoke], will also be working alongside the school.”
An advertisement for a new headteacher appeared on the eteach recruitment website during January and interviews are set to be held on 18th/19th March. It is anticipated that the new headteacher will take up the role in September.
Governors at Stoke Lodge Primary School have agreed to “release” Mr Clark until a new headteacher is appointed at Callicroft.
In a recent article on the results of last year’s Key Stage 2 (KS2) tests, the Bristol Post noted that Callicroft was ranked in the bottom 200 schools in the country. Just 48% of Year 6 pupils at the school achieved the expected standard in maths and English, compared to an average of 81% across all schools in South Gloucestershire and 79% in England.
Recent Ofsted reports rated the school “good” in 2006 and “satisfactory” in 2009.
Related link: Schools in Patchway (The Journal)
