Bristol nurtures local talent to welcome a new wave of head teachers

Bristol City Council has welcomed the city’s new head teachers and academy principals at a special event designed to help the leaders settle into their new roles.

Eighteen new heads and principals are taking up positions in education settings across Bristol this September, with many being promoted from existing roles across the city.

The event provided an opportunity to meet other new colleagues and hear about the development of education, including what Bristol’s status as a Learning City means for their roles.

Councillor Claire Hiscott, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills said:

“Bristol is a Learning City and, as such, we want to make sure that everyone who lives here has opportunities to develop and learn. A crucial part of this is to make sure all our children have access to a good education.

“The leaders of our city’s schools and academies are key to making sure that this can be a reality for every child. By working together, and sharing their expertise and experiences with each other, we believe that our schools will continue to develop and exceed expectations.

“The fact that many of these posts are being filled by people who already work within local schools goes to show that we are a city which inspires hope in its education professionals and where people can see continuing improvement.

“I’d like to also take this opportunity to formally welcome all our new leaders and wish them the best of luck over this coming year.”

Bristol is home to a wide range of schools and education settings from academies and colleges to special needs settings and free schools. Facilitated by Bristol City Council, new leaders can access a targeted induction programme to guide them through their first year in the job, run by other head teachers in the city.

Paul Jacobs, Service Director for Education and Skills, said:

“Recruiting inspiring and motivated leaders is essential to the continued success of education in Bristol and I’m delighted to welcome our new colleagues to the city.

“As a Learning City we believe that working together is the best method for raising the attainment of our students across the city. For the past decade we’ve seen increasing standards of education across the board and much of this has been thanks to effective partnership working.

“It is part of our role as local authority to offer support to the leaders of our schools and arrange opportunities for them to come together and share experiences and expertise.”

The continued commitment of the city’s education leadership has helped to strengthen schools and raise standards across Bristol. Recent figures from the Department for Education showed over a quarter of the city’s schools are now rated as ‘outstanding’, which is higher than the South West average of 19 per cent.