Dear Parents and Carers,

News from the Governing Body

I am writing as Chair of the Governing Body to keep you up to date with our work to appoint a Headteacher to replace Mr. Gulley, who, as you know, has announced his retirement from the end of the current academic year.

I and my fellow members of the Governing Body would like to assure you that we regard this work as the most important aspect of our work ever. We have been busy in the last few weeks drawing up an advertisement, a job description and a person specification appropriate to being Headteacher of our school. We have worked alongside a representative from the Local Authority’s Human Resources Department and with the Assistant Director for Children and Learning herself. The advertisement will appear in the national Times Education Supplement on November 5th and 12th. It will also appear online and it will be in the Essex and Southend JobScene in those weeks. We intend to attract the highest quality applicants nationally, regionally and locally. Prospective applicants have been invited to visit the school in the week commencing 15th November. The closing date for applications is 26th November and we shall be shortlisting in early December. Interviews for the post will be held on 10th and 11th January. The successful candidate will be announced shortly after that.

We know that there will be some anxiety about Mr. Gulley leaving after such a long and successful spell as Headteacher. We would like to reassure you that we understand such feelings and that we will do all in our powers to recruit a successor who will maintain the values and ethos of our school, who will continue our valued work in the local community and who will add fresh ideas to what we do. We have also heard that there is a fear that several teachers will be leaving at the same time as Mr. Gulley and there is worry about the effect of that. Again, please be assured, there are only two other teachers leaving in July next year, both retiring at the end of their careers. All members of the Governing Body have been working towards this succession issue for the last couple of years. We have been recruiting and retaining many high quality members of staff and we are confident that what we have become used to at Temple Sutton will be at least maintained.

I shall attempt to keep in close touch over the months ahead.

Yours faithfully,

Mr. Alan Carey

Chair of the Governing Body.