Penrith’s Queen Elizabeth Grammar School has this morning announced sweeping resignations from its trust in charge and a number of new appointments.
It follows the recent screeching about turn on the school joining the Egremont-based West Lakes Multi-Academy Trust (WLMAT) in the New Year.
That came hard on the heels of a damning report from the Education Skills and Funding Agency about how government grants were spent at the Ullswater Road site and the school being served with a “Notice to Improve” which puts it under the spotlight of the education authorities.
The selective school needs to repay £1.5 million and has faced calls from a concerned parents group for “accountability” and “transparency” into what went wrong, and more “openness” about any move to join WLMAT.
Today, in a carefully-presented statement, the school revealed all its trustees are stepping down barring one who is elected by parents.
Headteacher David Marchant, who took over in September and has inherited the issue, said in the statement that the existing trustees wanted to ensure “faith and confidence” during a fresh consultation with parents about the school’s potential link-up with WLMAT.
Martyn Worrall, chairman of the outgoing board of trustees and himself only in place for a couple of months, added: “The Board of Trustees has tried to act in the best interests of the school, and we continue to do so now by resigning and allowing a new board to conduct a fresh consultation (to join WLMAT).”
New trustees include Carlisle-based Maggie Robson, a former headteacher of 13 years and 35 in education; Nick Page, the current headteacher of Penrith’s Beaconside C of E Primary School; Chris Pyle, head of Lancaster Royal Grammar School; Neil Ruddick, a retired Merseyside Police inspector; and David Sargent, rector of Penrith.
New trust members include Dr Mark Fenton, chief executive of the Grammar School Heads Association and Rebekah Gall, who was a deputy head at QEGS between 1997-2016.
The Herald revealed (below) in November how an investigation had concluded that the school “knowingly” overclaimed for improvement works.
Read more: Bombshell report finds Penrith school over-claimed £1.5 million
