Re: Leadership at Notley High School

This is to provide an update and clarity regarding the leadership at Notley High School. 

Miss Ryan will be stepping down and leaving Notley High school this Summer and Mr Mark Barrow will become the new Headteacher.

Whilst there is never a good time to have a change of Headteacher, I have spent a lot of time speaking with Miss Ryan recently and have supported her desire to follow a new challenge and wish her well.

For clarity, Mr Barrow will take over the Headship and is already in the school. Indeed, I placed Mr Barrow in the school in January and since Easter, he has been providing ‘Executive’ Leadership at Notley alongside Miss Ryan. Therefore, there is a very smooth transition and I am confident you will notice very little immediate change, other than to say, the school continues on its journey and I am excited for the future.

Miss Ryan has asked me to share the following statement with all stakeholders;

“I am very proud of the achievements made at Notley High School and Braintree Sixth Form over the last few years under my leadership.

Notley has been on a journey of rapid improvement in all areas and faced many challenges along the way. I am proud that under my Headship when the school was last inspected it moved out of an Ofsted category. None of the above could have been achieved without you all supporting me and believing in making it a better school to work at. 

Notley is a very special school, the Trust, SLT, Governors and all of you are dedicated to its success but most importantly the children are what makes it an amazing school to work at and to be part of that journey has been wonderful.

Every school has a journey of its own. When Ofsted return again, it will achieve further recognition, not only for the children and those of you who continue to work here but also for the local community who are invested in its future. You truly are an incredible group of people.

Therefore, I feel it is now time for me to seek a new challenge and I have made the decision to leave at the end of this term and I am lucky that the Trust have supported me in doing so.

So, thank you for making my Notley journey one of the most memorable chapters in my life so far. The school is in safe hands and will continue to flourish.

Miss Ryan.”

Mr Barrow is a very experienced school leader and has been both a Headteacher and CEO in previous schools, and is fully committed, and confident, in bringing about the success that Notley deserves. I am sure that you will join me in welcoming him officially to Notley, as Headteacher, and will give him your full support as we move forward together in collaboration.

The Local Governing Committee are aware of the change and I have been in regular communication with the Co- Chairs during this time. With strong Governance, excellent leadership and some very good appointments already made for September (I can confirm the school is fully staffed!), the school will flourish. The school’s senior leadership team remains fully stable and I have provided a couple of additional senior members of staff to the school to accelerate the positive work already begun.

Bridge Academy Trust has provided significant resources to support the school, and will continue to do so, as we remain fully committed to ensuring Notley High School is the best it can be for all stakeholders and for the local community.

Yours sincerely,

Mr M. Farmer, CEO Bridge Academy Trust