Staff and parents excited by new Headteacher

After ‘meeting’ the School’s new headteacher Jon Wilcox this week staff, governors and parents declared the future bright at Longridge.

The event on Wednesday evening was also an opportunity for school governors to introduce themselves, and update on changes, school finances and expansion plans, while current Headteacher Jonathan Lee – who retires in the summer – Deputy Head Jenell Arnott and Co-Head of the Junior School Sarah Maddock all presented on new curriculum plans for the forthcoming year.

Mr Wilcox (pictured) then joined by live Zoom from his current home in Queensland, Australia, where it was 4am, and he presented on his vision for the school, how he had helped turn around his current Australian school and his ambitions for Longridge. He took questions from parents on what Longridge will look like under his leadership and how he plans to grow the school against the challenges facing the UK independent sector.

Parents Hilary and Robin Robson were very encouraged by what they heard, Hilary stating: “You could feel his excitement through the screen, and that was at four o’clock in the morning for him, so I think he’s going to be brilliant for Longridge.

“I like the fact that he’s rejuvenated his current school and grown it from 150 to 400 pupils, and he’s got a lot of experience. He is obviously excited and has ideas about the challenge of growing Longridge.

“I’ll be very sad to see Mr Lee because he is a great Headteacher, go but I do think Mr Wilcox is going to be brilliant for Longridge and, from what he said about being part of the community and creating a network, I think that the local area is also going to benefit hugely from him.”

Robin added: “Our children have been involved in both the state and independent sector, and our son is loving his time at Longridge.

‘Investing and supporting staff is key’

“I liked what Mr Wilcox said about supporting and investing in the staff here, because the teachers are key. At Longridge, with small classes, they are able to get to know the children and understand what makes them tick, and don’t have the behaviour or discipline problems state schools are struggling with, and that makes a big difference.

“Hunter’s met a lot of new friends and the fact the school is introducing the new BTech course in agriculture  – and the new Head has a strong background in agriculture – is great for him as we are a farming family.

“I’m glad Mr Wilcox will be here in the summer because we need some work on growing the Sixth Form, particularly, but he certainly came across very well and clearly has ideas for growing the school well into the future.”

‘There is a lot of excitement among staff’

A time of change and transition can be unsettling for a School, and Mr Woodrow (pictured), teacher of Science and Physics, and Head of Forms Four and Five, acknowledged that that had been the case for staff across the School. But he said that Mr Wilcox’s presentation, and discussions the new Head is having weekly with Longridge staff, had proved very reassuring, and that this period had brought staff closer together.

He said: “I hope tonight was reassuring for parents because there is a lot of excitement among staff.

“This term has been an odd one. It’s been understandably tense at times with the uncertainty around leadership and the challenges in the independent school market in recent times. But, actually, what it is has meant is that staff have really banded together a lot more, and we are becoming tighter knit.

“We’re seeing lots of positives, focusing on the good things we do and making sure we do them better. We have been looking at what sets Longridge apart and how we can raise awareness of that, and let our existing community, and prospective parents and pupils out there, know that we are doing those things, because I think we are not very quick to shout about what makes Longridge special.

“Tonight supported us with that. Our new Headteacher really spoke to a lot of the members of staff here with his vision. There was a lot that we are already doing that align with his core values, and his vision for how to implement them.

“But, also, the enthusiasm and passion with which our leadership team spoke shows their dedication to the school, and that is something that is echoed across the School’s staff – we love working here and we are excited about how we can really move Longridge forwards.”

Challenging questions on future of independent schools

There was also a very positive response from the Governors to what they heard from the new Headteacher. Former bursar and now governor Stuart Bankier said: “I thought Jon Wilcox answered the questions very well, and he seemed to be quite well received by our parents.

“There were some quite challenging questions from parents, submitted before tonight and posed to him directly, which is important because parents have to feel confident in us and the school. These are clearly challenging times for the whole independent sector across the UK.

“But he answered them very well and showed he has done a lot of research. He seemed to satisfy people that Longridge is in a good place – and that he wouldn’t be coming here with his young family if it was not – going by their mood at the finish.

“As governors, we recognise that the transition from one Headteacher to another can be an unsettling time, but what came out of tonight I think, from ourselves as governors, Jonathan [Lee] and Jon [Wilcox], and the leadership team, was that it’s actually a very exciting time for us

“We have brought on a significant number of new governors with a broad experience who are both prepared to roll up their sleeves and help the School, and also drill down into the detail to keep Longridge on a solid track; we have a strong staff with new faces coming in too; and Jon, himself, is bringing quite a lot of experience.”

The local historian and leader of the after-school Enrichment Car Club (pictured below) added: “I am glad parents had the chance to meet our new Headteacher, if only via Zoom. It can help us all to look forward now with real confidence that Longridge can build a vibrant future of education for pupils across the Scottish Borders and Northumberland, and further afield.”