Biggleswade head seeks community opinion

Stephen Phillips, headteacher at Holmemead Middle School in Biggleswade is inviting interested parties to attend three consultation events in the coming weeks.

A consultation process has been under way to determine how Holmemead Middle, Southlands Lower School and Brigham Pre-school will be managed and structured in the future.

Since the start of this term, Mr Phillips has worked as the executive head at Holmemead and also at Southlands Lower, while his former deputy Chris Greenhall has been the head of school at the latter.

Mr Phillips’ other previous deputy, Caroline McGuckian, has been the head of school at Holmemead.

The arrangement will be in place until August and was introduced after previous Southlands headteacher Jennifer Morgan retired at the end of last term.

Three options are being considered for the future of the three.

The first would see a permanent headteacher being appointed at Southlands and the system remaining broadly similar to how it was before Mrs Morgan retired.

Option two would seek to develop joint administration, leadership and staffing options for all three schools, which would operate as a chain of academies.

The third option would see the three schools being merged and renamed as a completely new organisation.

After initial discussions the governing bodies of the three have expressed an early preference for option two.

Mr Phillips is pleased with the consultation process so far and wants the public to have as much of an input as possible.

He said: “I think most people agree that continuity in education is important and this consultation has meant that we can look at ways of achieving this and moving things forward.

“It’s important that anyone who wants to have their say can do so.”

The meetings will take place on Wednesday (January 25) at Southlands Lower, from 3pm to 5pm, on Tuesday, January 31 at Holmemead Middle from 5pm to 7pm and on Thursday, February 2 at Brigham Pre-school from 7pm to 9pm.

There will be opportunities to talk to members of staff and governors.