Head steps down after school hit by poor report

The head of a secondary school in Shropshire, which has been put into special measures, has resigned from her post, it emerged today.

Julia Thomas will leave The Grange School in Shrewsbury at the end of August.

The school, in Worcester Road, was put in special measures after a damning Ofsted report earlier this year.

However, it will now link up with Sundorne School and Sports College, whose head Geoff Pettengell will oversee education at The Grange as part of his new role as principal of the enlarged group.

Mrs Thomas, 52, who has been in charge for six years, said she felt ‘the time was right’ to step down.

She said she supported the decision to federate with Sundorne as it helped prevent the possibility of the school being turned into a privately-run sponsored academy. She said: “It seemed a right and proper time to say ‘I will go now’.”

It comes as school inspectors ruled The Grange has made ‘inadequate’ progress in making improvements.

The latest Ofsted inspection, at the end of June, criticised the school in areas such as teaching quality and the achievement of pupils. It also raised concerns about high exclusion rates.

But it said the federation of the school offered hope.

Karen Bradshaw, for Shropshire Council, said: “The council, along with the staff and governing body of the federation, recognise there is work to be done to improve standards.”