New head for Holywells
HOLYWELLS today announced that acting headteacher Terry Duffell would be stepping down as the school prepares to become an academy.
HOLYWELLS today announced that acting headteacher Terry Duffell would be stepping down as the school prepares to become an academy.
The school has asked Suffolk County Council to look for an executive headteacher for September 2009.
Ian Bloom, an experienced headteacher from Norfolk, has been offered and accepted the position and will take up the post on September 1.
Cecilia Davies, chair of the board of governors at Holywells, said: “Ian comes with a good reputation and we think he can lead the school forward, which is our primary interest.
“Terry has done a superb job and we are very grateful for his dedication and commitment. We are very appreciative of his work at the school. He will now go back to his substantive post as deputy.”
Meanwhile governors at the school hit out at union claims that the move was like “giving away a community asset to a profit-making company.”
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Members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) in Suffolk last week threatened to strike over the proposal to create the county's first academy at Holywells.
But a joint statement from the chairwoman and vice-chair of the school's board of governors has criticised the union claims that Swedish education company and academy sponsor Kunskapsskolan will force redundancies and provide a lower level of education.
Cecelia Davies and John Helleur hit back at the NUT, saying they were “surprised and disturbed that such a responsible organisation should react to the academy news based on out-dated information.”
In response to union concerns about uncertain term dates, uniform, pay and conditions, and community use of the school, the governors said: “The benefits of this move for the students, the community in south east Ipswich and staff are likely to be profoundly positive and long lasting.”
