Following 2 successful years as Headteacher at Shrewsbury Academy, Mr Jon Arnold is moving on to a new headship role and the Trust has accommodated his request to leave early so he can start his new position in September. He leaves with the Trust’s best wishes for a successful headship.

Since joining the Marches Academy Trust in September 2019, the school has made significant progress under Mr Arnold’s leadership and has worked closely with the school community to enhance the learning opportunities for the students. The work during the Covid-19 crisis has been led by Mr Arnold and has had a positive impact on the students and school community.

The Trust is working alongside Mr Arnold for an effective handover ensuring the school continues to provide high quality learning and care, working to a vision of ‘Achievement Through Caring’ for all students.

Mr David O’Toole, Deputy CEO will lead the school through this transition with the support of the leadership team. Mr O’Toole joined Sir John Talbot’s School in 2014 when it was in special measure and has transformed the school to now lead the way in Shropshire.

Mr O’Toole is passionate about the continued growth and development of Shrewsbury Academy and has worked collaboratively with Mr Arnold along with the senior team in recent months to establish the school’s current strong position.

The recent pandemic has provided an opportunity to raise standards using technology and remote learning. The strategies and programmes developed by the staff have proved so valuable over the past few weeks and will help shape the world of education in the future which Mr O’Toole will lead on. The Trust has led the way on home learning and student engagement thanks to the dedicated staff.

Ms Sarah Finch, CEO of the Marches Academy Trust, comments ‘‘The appointment of Mr O’Toole as Headteacher marks the next stage in the development of the Shrewsbury Academy. Working together, we will ensure that an excellent education for the children of Shropshire remains our number one priority. Mr O’Toole and I are committed to empowering teachers and their communities to be the best they can be and to provide the best learning opportunities for the young people in our Trust. I thank Mr Arnold and wish him every success in his new role’’.