Letter from Mr Ellison: new Principal of CVC from January 2018

Dear Parents and Carers,

I attach a letter concerning the appointment of Helen Cassady as the new Principal of CVC as from January 2018. I am sorry that we have not communicated this before now but we were asked by Helen’s current employer to delay the announcement until today. We believe that respecting that request was the right thing to do.

As well as leading the appointment panel which chose Helen, I have been able to meet up with her since as well as having regular phone conversations with her. I think that she is an exceptionally able leader who will help take CVC to the next level and I am extremely excited about working with her. Helen will be at the open evening on 5th October and we will arrange opportunities for all parents to meet her as soon as possible.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank Joy Hadley for stepping in this term as Acting Principal. Ably supported by Geraint Brown as Acting Vice Principal and the Senior Leadership Team, she has ensured that the school is running brilliantly. I have walked around the site on numerous occasions and I have been delighted to note the purposeful lessons, excellent behaviour and positivity that is apparent throughout the college.

I look forward to seeing you at forthcoming events.

Best wishes,

Steve Ellison

Regional Director of Education

 

Cottenham Village College appoints exemplary leader as new Head

++ Helen Cassady took previous school from special measures to good in 18 months ++
Astrea Academy Trust is announcing today that Helen Cassady has been appointed as the new
Headteacher at Cottenham Village College, taking up post in January 2018. Helen joins CVC
from Havant Academy in Hampshire, where she has been Headteacher since 2013. Vice
Principal Joy Hadley has been appointed as Interim Principal for the autumn term.
When Helen joined Havant Academy it was languishing in special measures and had come
bottom of the class in exam results, with just one school in England performing worse. At the
time, just 10% of children achieved the expected standard of five GCSEs, including English and
Maths (A* – C). Eighteen months on, Ofsted had upgraded the school to “Good”, and the last set
of exam results showed that pupils performed exceptionally well.
Libby Nicholas, Chief Executive of Astrea said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have appointed Helen as our new Head. She truly is an
exemplary leader: she has a fantastic track record and knows what it takes to succeed. I am
confident that she will continue to excel in this new role, and that she will help us bring to life our
commitment of an education that inspires beyond measure at Cottenham Village College.”
Helen Cassady said:
“I am absolutely delighted to be appointed as the new Principal at Cottenham Village College. It
will be a privilege to lead Cottenham Village College to become even higher performing and
provide an education that inspires beyond measure. I very much look forward to working with
staff, students, parents, governors, community and Astrea in January 2018.”
Astrea Academy Trust has 18 academies across the country. Cottenham Village College and
The Centre School are the first two schools in Cambridgeshire to join the family of schools. The
Trust is engaged in active discussion with further local schools to grow further the
Cambridgeshire.