The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A new executive headteacher has been appointed to take over at three South Holland primary schools.
Pinchbeck East Primary, Spalding Primary and Surfleet Primary have announced that Andrew Raistrick is to take over from Tom Verity in September.
Mr Verity became headteacher of Pinchbeck East seven years ago and led the school, which was once in special measures, to an Ofsted “outstanding” grade in 2012 – a rating it has maintained since.
He later took the other two schools under his wing as executive headteacher and has helped to raise standards at both.
In performance tables published at the end of last year, Pinchbeck saw 95 per cent of pupils achieve level four or above in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2, while Surfleet improved from 40 per cent in 2014 to 83 per cent last year and Spalding Primary also improved – from 72 per cent to 77 per cent.
Parents at the schools were informed last November that Mr Verity was to leave the school at the end of the school year to fulfil a lifelong ambition of leading a British school overseas.
He will join Alice Smith School, Kuala Lumpur in September, as Principal of their primary campus.
Pinchbeck chairman of governors Helen Banks extended her congratulations to Mr Verity and moved to reassure parents that the school remained in “safe hands”
She said: “We are fortunate in having a strong governing body, excellent leadership from the senior team and very many first-class and committed staff.
“I know that they will protect what they have built together.”
The vacancy created by Mr Verity’s move was advertised after Christmas and attracted a “strong field” of potential candidates, Mrs Banks said.
In announcing Mr Raistrick’s appointment in a letter to parents, she said: “Having previously been a head teacher in Lincolnshire, Mr Raistrick is currently working in Great Dalby Primary School, near Melton Mowbray, which he led to ‘outstanding’ in 2014 and, as such, like Mr Verity, he has quickly gained expertise in supporting and collaborating with other schools.
“On behalf of all of the governors, we would like to extend a warm welcome to Mr Raistrick and hope that he has many rewarding years leading our collaboration.”
