Parents angry after "outstanding" primary school head seconded

* This story is subject to a correction which can be read at the end of the article.

PARENTS of pupils at Coney Hill Primary School are up in arms after the headteacher was replaced by an interim part-time head - and they were only told two days into the new term.

Current headteacher Rachel Wadley has been seconded to Moat Primary School in Matson, while Margaret Bainbridge, former headteacher at the High School for Girls, in Denmark Road, has stepped in on a part-time basis.

However, parents at the school are less than happy about the arrangement, claiming they only found out after the agreement had been decided.

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One parent, from Coney Hill, who has asked to remain anonymous, said: "We don't understand why our school should lose a headteacher until January, especially when she has brought that school back from the brink. She's gone to help a school which needs a full-time head, so we are worried it's going be permanent.

"We were not told about the change until we received a letter two days into a new year."

Another parent, who also asked to remain anonymous, said: "Miss Wadley was fantastic and everything at the school was going really well, now we find ourselves in a situation that we are not comfortable with at all."

Vicky King, temporary chairman of governors at Coney Hill School, said: "It is common practice for schools to share the expertise of outstanding headteachers. Mrs Bainbridge has been appointed as the temporary headteacher. This arrangement was agreed during the summer holidays and it is planned to finish in December. Parents were invited to a meeting at the beginning to term to raise any issues."

Correction: IN A story on page six of Saturday’s Citizen, entitled ‘Parents annoyed after headteacher replaced’ we incorrectly stated the interim headteacher at Coney Hill Primary School was the current headteacher at the High School for Girls, in Denmark Road, Ewa Sawicka.

In fact, it is Margaret Bainbridge, the ex-headteacher at the High School for Girls, who has taken up the post at the primary school.

We would like to apologise to Mrs Sawicka for any distress caused. We note the excellent reputation of the High School for Girls where Mrs Sawicka remains the full time headteacher.