THE headteacher and deputy head at a Taunton primary school are not currently at the school.

Parents returning their children to Parkfield Primary School at the start of the week received a letter informing them of a leadership change. 

On Monday, chair of governors Duncan Meikle informed parents that head Lisa Marchant and deputy head Louise Simmons were to be replaced for reasons that "will not be expanded upon".

A spokesman for Parkfield Primary School said: “The headteacher and deputy headteacher are not currently in school.

"While it is not appropriate to publicly discuss the personal circumstances of any individual member of staff, we can confirm that the local authority has been working with the school’s governors to ensure that interim leadership will be in place from the beginning of the new term, including an experienced interim headteacher.

“Thanks to the great efforts of its staff and pupils and support of parents, Parkfield is an outstanding school and the governors are committed to continuing this good work undisrupted.

“The governors and local authority would also like to reassure everyone connected with the school that there are no issues affecting pupil safety or educational performance.”

The new interim headteacher, Steve John, will be joining the school on September 12. 

Until then, Steve Owen, a senior education advisor from Somerset County Council, will be in the position of acting headteacher.

The longest-serving teacher, Kathryn Skyner, will be stepping into the position of assistant headteacher. 


The letter in full:

5th September 2016

Dear Parent or Carer,

It was a pleasure to welcome the children back to school today; I hope they and you have enjoyed the summer break.

I have an important announcement to make regarding the leadership of the school. This announcement, because of its nature, is brief to the point and, in the present circumstances, is all the information that can be released and will not be expanded upon.

I have to inform you that the Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher are not currently in school. It is not appropriate to pubicly discuss the personal circumstances of any individual member of staff but I can confirm that the local authority has been working with the Governors to ensure that interim leadership is in place for the beginning of term, including an experienced Headteacher.

Thanks to the great efforts of staff and pupils and the support of parents, Parkfield is an outstanding school and the Governors are committed to making sure this continues to be the case.

The Governors and local authority would like to reassure everyone connected with the school that there are no issues affecting pupil safety or educational performance.

Our new interim headteacher is Mr Steve John who has considerable experience in this role. He will be taking up his position from 12th September. In the meantime, Mr Steve Owen will be at the school in the sposition of acting Headteacher. Mr Owen is a Senior Education Advisor for the local authority; he has been a regular visitor to Parkfield over the past year and is very familiar with the school, its staff and its pupils. In addition, our longest-serving teacher, Kathryn Skyner, will be stepping up to the position of Acting Headteacher.

The Governors have great confidence in the school's new leadership team and you can be assured that out priority will always be to provide our pupils with a first-class education in a happy and stimulating, learning environment.

Your Sincerely,

Duncan Meikle
Chair of Governors