Linda comes back to help Fiona take over from Academy

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Barry Hersom had been principal of the underperforming school for five years until his departure was announced last week.

Fiona Pierson has been promoted to the role of acting headteacher.

Miss Pierson, 34, will be supported by Linda Bamford, whose title will be executive principal.

She was headteacher for six years when the academy was formerly Sir Charles Lucas School in the early Nineties.

The move came after the school – which is rated inadequate by education watchdog Ofsted – got a new academy sponsor after Colchester Institute decided to break its ties.

Bright Tribe, which runs academies across the country, took over as sponsor on April 1.

Mrs Bamford described her role as being a “critical friend”

to the school to support it for as long as it is needed.

She is one of Bright Tribe’s centrally-employed executive heads, and led the Mayflower High School, in Billericay, for 12 years, as well as working in roles at a senior level for the National College of School Leaders.

Mrs Bamford said it will take time for results to improve at Colchester Academy.

She said: “In the last couple of years, a few schools have struggled with the changes to the exam system. Schools, like Colchester Academy, rely on consistency and stablility to ensure standards are met.

“The benefits of the hard work by staff are going to be seen as the years go on. Things are going to take a while to establish. It is not a quick fix or like putting a sticking plaster on.”

Fiona Pierson, who has been assistant principal at the academy for three years, will be in the role this term with a view to extend it.

Mrs Bamford said: “For Fiona, the most important thing is to make sure there is stability for the school. Children need that stability.

“Fiona is involved in that transformation through the new curriculum and it will be her and the senior team who make that curriculum fit.

“We don’t want to make children feel their school is not something they can be proud of.

“There will be changes Fiona and her team decide and will be introduced to the academy over the next 12 months.

“The most exciting thing is having Fiona as head of school, as she knows the school.

“The staff and students are really behind this headteacher and I am excited about what the future will offer.”

Mrs Bamford said the belowpar Ofsted report made the school take stock of how it was working.

She said: “It galvanised this school into thinking about how they were doing. We will see the differences in the long term. It has gained an excellent platform on which we need to improve and then focus on everything.

“Ofsted has been able to say to the senior team this is good and we need to focus on this.”