Tollbar Academy Limited!

A message from David J Hampson OBE, the Chief Executive.

September 2010 has been a momentous month. During the latter part of 2009, with a general election looming, I, along with a number of other Heads of outstanding schools, was asked to take part in consultation with Michael Gove, then the Shadow Education Secretary, who was interested in developing and extending the ruling Labour party's Academy project. Hitherto academy status had been offered to private sponsors who would take over failing schools. What Mr Gove wanted was to offer this "independent" status to those schools who had demonstrated a willingness and capacity to use this freedom to flourish and in doing so share their winning ways with less successful institutions. Once the new coalition government was in place, the new Secretary of State announced that academy status could be achieved by those schools designated "outstanding" by Ofsted, as soon as September if the necessary procedures could be completed. So.....we set to work.

After a great deal of hard work by a number of people throughout the "quiet time" (for many schools) of August, we were delighted to receive the official letter towards the end of August, meaning we could open on September 1st as "Tollbar Academy Ltd, one of only 25 secondary schools to have done so!

What does this mean for Tollbar? It means that we are no longer a school maintained by the Local Authority and that the proportion of funding hitherto retained by the LA goes into our budget, to be used for the benefit of our students.

I am also delighted to tell you that, although we are an academy trust, a company, limited by guarantee, all our existing governors, such a strength for Tollbar and a support to me personally, have all accepted their new responsibilities as directors/governors of Tollbar Academy.

Another change is my own position. After 26 years as a Head, twenty of them as Head of Tollbar, I have retired as Principal, leaving the day to day running of the Academy in the more than capable hands of Associate Principals Mr Steve Moon and Mr David Riden, themselves with more than thirty years of joint experience in senior positions here and very much part of the success of Team Tollbar. I will however retain my position of Chief Executive, keeping control, along with the governors, of the strategic direction of Tollbar Academy.

So many changes, it is true. What does not change, however, and will not change, is our admissions policy and well-established ethos here at Tollbar - hard work, good behaviour, examination success, responsibility, uniform, homework and consideration for others, delivered through an entrepreneurial and business-like approach to all we do. I also continue to be determined that each of our students will be given every opportunity to acquire and extend the basic skills so necessary for the world of work and higher education.

Please take time to visit every corner of our website to get an idea of the tremendous opportunities that can now be offered to all who join 'Team Tollbar.' If you would like to find out more, call the academy any time (on 01472 500 505) and come and see for yourself that "Tollbar still means business."