BSCS’s Dave Baker takes on headship at Abbeywood

Dave Baker, headteacher at Bradley Stoke Community School, is to take on the leadership of a second school in the North Bristol area.

Following an announcement on Monday 3rd October that Abbeywood Community School’s headteacher Ann Duff had resigned from her post with immediate effect “for personal reasons”, Mr Baker has now been appointed Executive Headteacher of both schools for the remainder of the current academic year.

A joint statement put out by South Gloucestershire Council and the governing bodies of the two schools today (Friday 7th October) reads:

“In partnership with South Gloucestershire Council, the governors of Abbeywood Community School and Bradley Stoke Community School are pleased to announce that Dave Baker has agreed to become the executive head of both schools for the remainder of this academic year.”

“A strong partnership already exists between the two schools and this arrangement will strengthen the opportunities for staff to share best practice and professional development opportunities. Governors are confident that this new way of working will be beneficial for all students as part of a continuing drive for school improvement.”

In a letter to parents/carers at the Stoke Gifford school, Mr Baker adds:

“The two schools already work together so the partnership will be strengthened and there will be plenty of opportunities for staff to share best practice and professional development opportunities. These will benefit all the students.”

Abbeywood Community School (formerly Filton High School), which occupies a new £30m complex in New Road, was served notice to improve after an inspection by Ofsted in October 2010.

A monitoring inspection in May concluded that the school was making “satisfactory progress in addressing the issues for improvement and in raising the pupils’ achievement.”