Parents’ fury as major faculty proclaims it’s trying to find its SIXTH headteacher in simply three years
Frustrated parents have complained a school is in ‘freefall’ after it announced it was looking for its sixth headteacher in just three years.
The revolving door of principals at Bignold Primary School began in 2022. Since then, five heads or acting heads have had short tenures and the entire board of governors has resigned en masse.
The last headteacher, Tracy McKenzie, only took on the post in September and departed at the end of the term.
Sources claimed the turmoil was due to the ‘over-bearing’ involvement of the Evolution Academy Trust, which runs the school in Norwich and 11 others throughout Norfolk and Suffolk.
One told the Mail: ‘It is very difficult for the heads, who are being undermined by the trust. There is a lack of professional autonomy.’
The insider added the school leaders’ jobs were being made more difficult by budget restraints that meant teaching assistants had been made redundant and curriculum changes introduced ‘under the radar’, causing ‘disgruntlement’.
Another source said a head had told them it was ‘the most horrendous job I’ve ever had, for many, many reasons’.
A concerned parent added: ‘There’s a feeling of freefall at the school. You need stability at the top and there is none because they [the headteachers] leave every few months.
The revolving door of principals at Bignold Primary School (pictured) began in 2022
The trust’s head of education, Katie Lawson (pictured), wrote to parents on November 21 to say the move would be ‘enhancing consistency and long-term stability in our leadership structure’
‘It’s beyond a bad joke and it’s affecting the children’s education.’
Online comments about the chaos include one from a local ‘life coach’ who helps tackle behavioural issues among pupils at primary schools.
He wrote: ‘I know one of the former heads of this school and they told me they had never, ever worked with such badly behaved children.
‘They felt unsupported in meting out discipline and found it soul-destroying.’
Miss McKenzie’s exit in December came weeks after the school unveiled a ‘co-headship model’ under which she would share her the job with Alison Read.
The trust’s head of education, Katie Lawson, wrote to parents on November 21 to say the move would be ‘enhancing consistency and long-term stability in our leadership structure’.
She continued: ‘By combining the expertise and vision of two experienced leaders, we aim to provide a stable and unified direction for our school.’
But this was followed by the bombshell news that not only was Miss McKenzie leaving but Mrs Read would not be taking on the role.
Since the start of 2022, the school has appointed – and lost – heads Chris Newman, Tim Wilcher, Hayley Sonnex, Matt Wigg (pictured) and Miss McKenzie
Since the start of 2022, the school has appointed – and lost – heads Chris Newman, Tim Wilcher, Hayley Sonnex, Matt Wigg and Miss McKenzie.
The trust said Mr Newman, Mr Wilcher and Miss McKenzie were all ‘acting headteachers’. It did not respond to a request to clarify who resigned or was sacked.
Mrs Lawson has also been in charge for spells and will now lead the school for the next 12 months while a permanent replacement is sought again.
The board of governors resigned in July 2022 – two months after Ofsted rated the school ‘good’ following its last inspection – complaining they had been sidelined from important school processes and ‘disrespected by the trust leadership’.
One of them, Emma Corlett, who is an independent member of the county council, said: ‘Evolution Academy Trust has brought nothing but instability to Bignold. It is unsettling for children, for parents and for staff.
‘There has been a recent surge in parents raising concerns with me and the general lack of accountability for multi-agency trusts make it nigh-on impossible to hold them to account for the chaos they have unleashed.
‘Children and hard-working, dedicated staff have been let down. It is unforgivable.’
Emma Corlett (pictured), who is an independent member of the county council, said: ‘Evolution Academy Trust has brought nothing but instability to Bignold. It is unsettling for children, for parents and for staff’
Evolution Academy Trust’s chief executive, Dr Craig Avieson, states on its website: ‘We have a fantastic central team and group of headteachers who continually strive to ensure we support the professional development and well-being of our staff.
‘This enables our staff to perform at their very best and, importantly, provide children with the very best quality of education.’
A spokeswoman said: ‘We are pleased to have stable leadership and permanent appointments in all 11 of our other schools and our headteachers and staff frequently report their satisfaction with the balance of autonomy and direction provided by the central trust team.
‘While we have had a period of instability at Bignold, we are working tirelessly to ensure that children, staff, parents and governors are as supported and informed as possible going forward.’
