The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Parents of pupils at a troubled Spalding school have been told “there is nothing standing in the way of success”.
The note of optimism has been sounded by the new executive principal of Sir John Gleed School.
Chris Mallaband has been appointed to the role by the academy’s sponsor CfBT in an attempt to strengthen the senior management team following a series of disappointing Ofsted inspections.
The education watchdog placed the school in special measures last year amid concerns about bullying and poor teaching.
In a letter to parents sent out last week, Mr Mallaband said: “I bring the experience of being the headteacher of four previous schools, all facing challenging circumstances.
“I have seen how schools can make rapid and sustained progress and achieve remarkable things.
“My first impression of Sir John Gleed is that there is nothing standing in the way of success – the young people are magnificent and the staff are committed and enthusiastic.”
Mr Mallaband said he is working hard to meet as many of the school’s pupils as possible, by visiting lessons, and extended an invitation to parents to share any ideas for improving the school or raise concerns with him by contacting the school.
His letter informed parents of plans for an additional staff training day on Monday, June 30 – meaning the school will close to pupils for the day.
There will however, be limited capacity for children to be supervised in the Learning Resource Centre if parents are struggling to make alternative arrangements.
He said: “One thing we need to do as a school community is to make sure that we are well planned, especially as we get towards the end of the school year.
“We do need to make sure that we have everything in place for next year and that we have a shared understanding of the things we need to do to make the school better.”
