Chiswick School Head Steps Down Suddenly
Tony Ryan decides to leave for 'professional and personal reasons'
The headteacher of Chiswick School, Tony Ryan, has stepped down after over six years in the role. A letter from the Governors to parents and guardians stated that he had made the decision for "professional and personal reasons."
Mr. Ryan said in a letter on the school website that the decision had been a difficult one for him and the reasons were complex.
Teaching staff were said to be shocked at the news which they heard when they arrived back after the Christmas break, before the school had reopened to pupils last week. The Board was aware of the decision before the school broke up for the holidays.
Tony Ryan is being replaced on an interim basis by Jill Coughlan, who was recently interim Headteacher of The Green School in Isleworth. She is expected to remain for the rest of the school year, until a new permanent headteacher is appointed for September 2017.
The change of leadership will have no impact on the ongoing school improvement plans which include expansion from a seven to a nine-form entry this year.
Tony Ryan oversaw the conversion of the school into an Academy and was regarded as a dynamic headteacher. However, in November 2015 the school was downgraded by OFSTED from its previous 'Good' to 'Requires Improvement' a decision which Mr Ryan described at the time as "very harsh".
Subsequently, Ofsted decided that progress had been made in addressing the issues identified, which included wanting clearer lines of accountability from the governing body to the head and his leadership team and through middle leaders to classroom level. This has since been restructured. The Ofsted inspectors had however, praised the strong ethos, culture and sense of community at the school, and the teaching and the behaviour of students.
The Ofsted report was a personal blow for Mr. Ryan and sources told chiswickw4.com that this report, and the departure of some senior staff, had led to low morale amongst teaching staff.
Three new Parent Governors were appointed to the Board last week. The school website noted that there had been an unprecedented level of interest from parents in the recent Parent Governor elections, with a total of fifteen nominations and over 400 votes cast.
In his departing letter on the school website, Tony Ryan said: "This
has been a very difficult decision for me; I have been truly blessed and
honoured to be the head teacher of such a wonderful school over the last
six and a half years. As many of you are aware, this has been much more
than a job to me, I was born locally and many of my friends and now in
turn many of their children attend Chiswick School. I have been proud
to lead the school and humbled by the trust that was placed in me.
"My decision is a complex one and involves both personal and professional
circumstances and considerations. I have no doubt that the school is now
well on the way to recovering from the disappointing Ofsted judgment of
November 2015, this is evidenced by the May Ofsted monitoring visit and
more recently from the Office of the Regional Schools Commissioner.
"I would like to pass my sincere thanks to the staff and governors
who have given me their unconditional support throughout my tenure. I
also want to thank parents for their encouragement and support and last
but by no means least, the students whom I will miss most of all; they
are quite simply, inspirational and amazing.
"I was delighted to hear that Jill Coughlan has been appointed in
an interim role, I know Jill from her recent work with The Green School
and I am certain that she will have a positive impact in her time at Chiswick.
"I will always have an eye on the progress of Chiswick School and
wish the school and those involved within it nothing but future success."
Nicholas Lee, chair of the Board of Governors said in the letter that Jill Coughlan was a highly regarded education specialist with an outstanding record in delivering sustainable school improvement in a number of schools. The letter thanked Mr. Ryan for his hard work, dedication and committment to making the significant changes and improvement during the previous six and a half years.
January 6, 2017