This latest news received from Ormiston Academies Trust. Ed
Cowes Enterprise College, an Ormiston Academy, has today announced the appointment of its new Principal, Rachel Kitley, who will be joining the school permanently from September.
Rachel, who is set to move to the Island with her husband and two children, will be joining Cowes Enterprise College from her previous position as Co-Headteacher at Kingsbury High School in London. She brings with her a wealth of experience in teaching and leadership.
John Peckham supporting the transition
As she settles in to her new position, Rachel will be working closely with current Principal John Peckham, who will be providing strategic advice to support the transition. John announced his intention to step down in February.
Last summer, the academy achieved one of the best set of GCSE results on the Island, and its recent Progress 8 results have shown improvements year-on-year for the last three years, with the academy scoring well above the Isle of Wight average. Rachel’s expertise and proven track record, as well as access to the wealth of experience provided by the Ormiston Academies Trust team regionally and centrally, will support the academy to continue to go from strength to strength.
Kitley: “Thrilled to be joining Cowes Enterprise College”
Rachel Kitley, who will be Principal at Cowes Enterprise College from September, said:
“I am thrilled to be joining Cowes Enterprise College and the Ormiston Academies Trust family. It is a privilege and an honour to be appointed as Principal, to build on the amazing work that John has overseen at the academy in recent years.
“Like John, I believe in the power of education to transform lives for all and I will do everything I can to enable students at Cowes to achieve excellent outcomes at school.”
Peckham: “Proud of the solid foundations”
John Peckham, current Principal at Cowes Enterprise College, commented:
“Rachel Kitley is the perfect fit for our academy, and I look forward to working closely with her in the coming months as she settles in to the new role.
“I am proud of the solid foundations that have been put in place for sustained improvement at the academy, and I look forward to watching the academy continue to go from strength to strength each year.
“Cowes Enterprise College is quickly becoming a school of choice on the Island, with Y7 applications up 13% since 2014. The number of students completing Year 13 has trebled and more students than ever before are going on to Russell Group universities. Rachel is joining at a great time and I know the academy community will join me in welcoming her with open arms.”
Toby Salt, CEO of Ormiston Academies Trust commented:
“This is a fantastic appointment for Cowes Enterprise College. Rachel has the experience, passion and commitment to continue to drive the success of the academy and to build on the brilliant leadership team which has already achieved such great results. We look forward to welcoming her to the OAT family and working with her closely as she settles in.”
David Sword, Chair of Governors at Cowes Enterprise College said:
“After a highly competitive recruitment process, we are delighted to appoint Rachel Kitley as our new Principal. She has the drive, ambition and vision to continue to build on the foundations that John has laid and take our academy forward.”
