Thetford Academy Principal Dr Michael Fordham bids farewell to the school and Thetford, reflecting on seven years of change before taking up a new headship in Cambridgeshire.
After seven years at Thetford Academy, of which I have been the Principal for the last four years, it is time for me to say goodbye to the school. For next academic year, I’ll be heading over to Cambridgeshire where I shall be the founding Headteacher of a new school called Alconbury Weald Church Academy. Whilst it is exciting to be involved in a new project, it is going to be difficult for me to leave Thetford.
There are lots of things I look back on and cannot quite believe how far the school has come. When I joined in 2019, the previous Principal, Dan Carter, had been in post for a year and had already made radical changes to the school’s behaviour system, turning a school that had struggled with poor behaviour into one that, for many years now, has attracted senior leaders from around the region to see what we do.
Academically, the school has gone from strength to strength. Back in 2018, a mere 19% of students at the school achieved a strong pass (Grade 5) in their Maths and English GCSEs, whereas last year we were up to 42%, and it is looking probable that we’ll surpass that this coming summer. Our Sixth Form has also seen significant improvements, especially in academic outcomes.
Thetford has also become a beacon for school sports and performing arts in the region over the last few years. During the pandemic, we could not do anything, but we have rebuilt this extra-curricular offer over recent years, and you will now find our sports leaders out running events throughout the local community (and I must mention that we beat Wymondham College in the football cup final this year).
Regular readers will know that music and our school productions have attracted attention from the wider region and beyond, and we have more students than ever before taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. All in all, I look back on recent years and feel it has been a positive experience.
But there is much still to be done and that will now be the job of our next Headteacher. By the time you read this, that process will have been completed, and I am hopeful that the new appointee will be able to introduce themselves to you in the next edition of this newsletter. I am confident that the school will go from strength to strength in the future and I look forward to dropping in from time to time to see how things are going.
A huge thank you from me to all of you who regularly read this column, and please do continue to support the school.
Dr Michael Fordham
