FURTHER FEARS FOR FUTURE AS SCHOOL GETS SHARED HEAD

27 July 2005

Dylan Thomas School is to share a head teacher for the next school year, it has emerged. The appointment comes amid much speculation over the future of the school, which faces the axe in a city-wide controversial education shake-up.

Governors at the school decided that the uncertainty over the school's future meant that they were unable to appoint a permanent new head teacher, following the departure of existing head Malcolm Willis this month as the school breaks up for summer.

The new acting head teacher will be Joe Blackburn, the head teacher of the 1,276-pupil Bishop Vaughan Catholic Comprehensive School.

As acting head teacher, he will combine responsibilities for both schools.He will assume his new duties as acting head teacher at Dylan Thomas School from the start of the new term in September.

He will continue in his post until March next year, when the situation will be reviewed.

A spokesman for the local authority said: "The authority is grateful for Bishop Vaughan governors in allowing Mr Blackburn to be acting head teacher at Dylan Thomas School, for the period September 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006.

"Mr Blackburn is a highly experienced head teacher, who will be able to support Dylan Thomas School and governors as acting head teacher in a period of uncertainty for the future of this school.

"He will continue also to lead Bishop Vaughan School."

Both schools' senior staff have also been given additional responsibilities, to be funded from existing school delegated budgets, to enable Mr Blackburn to provide leadership to both schools.

Chairman of governors at Dylan Thomas school, Dereck Roberts, said: "We cannot make a full-time appointment in the current circumstances because we don't know where we are.

"But the appointment is more than just a head teacher. Both schools have revamped their middle management structure and we are satisfied that Mr Blackburn will be able to provide the leadership the school needs."

Former head Malcolm Willis is taking on a new appointment at a school in Bristol next term. He had decided to leave before the uncertainty over the future of Dylan Thomas School was first revealed.

"We are very proud of what Mr Willis has achieved here," added Mr Roberts.

One Bishop Vaughan parent however said today there was some disquiet about having to loan out their head.

She added: "The news has come as a bit of a shock to us here. Mr Blackburn is a good head. There are a lot of children at the school and I think they deserve somebody at the helm full time."