This in from Cowes Enterprise College, in their own words. John will be taking up his new role with the Academy from 28th November and David Doherty will be at the helm in the meantime. Ed
The head of a school improvement consultancy and formerly one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors – who was educated on the Isle of Wight – was today announced as the new principal of Cowes Enterprise College.
John Peckham has previously been the headteacher of high-performing Bramhall High School, in Stockport, for 14 years and before that worked in schools in Cheshire and Kent. In recognition of his outstanding leadership he was recruited to be one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and has spent the last four years inspecting and supporting a wide range of schools that are in special measures or require improvement.
He is also the Principal Consultant at School Improvers Ltd., where he works with leaders in schools on behalf of academy chains and local authorities.
Leaving for personal reasons
Mr Peckham replaces outgoing head Becky Pearce, who has helped drive up standards at the school but who has decided to leave due to personal reasons. During Mrs Pearce’s headship, Cowes achieved its best ever GCSE results this year (with 56 per cent of students achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs including English and maths) Mr Peckham is now hoping to build on this firm foundation.
Mr Peckham, who is married with two children, and who is a keen sailor, said:
“I have been immensely lucky in being able to work with some fantastic schools and leaders in some extremely challenging contexts.
“I know from experience that Ormiston is fully committed to the success of its academies and I feel privileged to be able to work with them in a school and town for which I have enormous affection.
“One of the main attractions of Cowes was the opportunity to return to where I grew up and drive up standards in education.”
“Becky has done a great job”
Professor Toby Salt, Chief Executive of Ormiston Academies Trust, said:
“Securing someone of the calibre of John as our new headteacher is a real coup. Becky has done a great job however, John is absolutely the right man to take the school to the next stage.
“That he is from the island means he has a real attachment to the community, and he is passionate about transforming educational outcomes for young people in the area.”
Chair of Governors David Sword said:
“We are delighted to announce John Peckham as the new Principal of Cowes Enterprise College.
“We’re wishing Becky the best and know she has enjoyed her time at the College. The governing body would like to thank her for the work she has undertaken at the college, including the very positive feedback from our Ofsted visits and for the impressive results achieved by the College this year.
“In order to ensure that the College’s performance continues to improve, we have enlisted John Peckham, an experienced head teacher and former HMI, to join our strong leadership team. Mr Peckham will be working with Head of School David Doherty and our Education Advisor Sean O’Neill, who have both been critical to our success so far. We have further substantial support from Ormiston Academies Trust’s Regional Director for the South, Gwayne Webb.
“We’re looking forward to making further progress over the coming months and years under John’s leadership.”
Excellent leadership team in place
John Coughlan, Director of Children’s Services at Hampshire County Council said:
“Mrs Pearce’s leadership has helped the school head in the right direction and we are confident that with Mr Peckham at the helm it will continue its improvement.
“The College has an excellent leadership team in place, with long term support provided by the sponsor through an Education Advisor and the Regional Director.
“The school is set to be a real success story for the island thanks to the hard work of all those involved and because of the strong relationship between Ormiston and Isle of Wight Council.”
