EXCLUSIVE: Top teachers resign from Birkenhead's new academy school

12:55pm Tuesday 17th January 2012 in News Exclusive By Leigh Marles

JUST one year after Birkenhead’s academy school opened its doors, the board of governors has today accepted the resignations of its principal and vice-principal.

A statement from the board says that the pair, Steve McMahon and Sheena Shanahan, had found uniting the two schools that became the academy - Park High and Rock Ferry High - more difficult than they had expected.

They both took on their positions at the academy having been headteacher and deputy head of Park High School.

The statement says that although “a great deal has been achieved in a short space of time since the academy was set up a year ago and the improvement in student results has been impressive, our aim of achieving a fully united professional body of staff remains a key challenge.

“One of the main tasks of both the principal and vice-principal when they were appointed was to bring together the two predecessor schools and create this unity.

“Unfortunately and in spite of a lot of hard work this has proved more difficult than envisaged and so for the good of the academy and its students they have decided to step down now to allow other candidates to be appointed to ensure this critical move is successfully completed.”

The board, chaired by Birkenhead MP Frank Field, continued: “Our expectations of all of our staff will continue to increase and be challenging in the interests of our students.

“We have accepted the resignations knowing that the professionalism and dedication of the staff will ensure these goals are met this year."

Governors have appointed Helen Johnson as acting vice-principal and are about to appoint an acting principal.

They have also established a search committee to find replacements and say they will will quickly begin the recruitment process.

Permanent replacements are expected to be made in time for the Autumn term.

Parents of children who attend the academy contacted the Globe to express their concerns about the running of the school.

They claimed they have been given little information about the reasons behind Mr McMahon and Mrs Shanahan’s disappearance and had many unanswered questions.

One parent said: “It is our children who are suffering.

"We earnestly hope you can put pressure on the authorities to come to an early conclusion so our children do not suffer any more problems to their education.”

The governors said they will not be releasing any further information about the resignations.

Situated on the site of Park High School, the academy has an intake of around 1,100 students.

The facility’s lead sponsor is the University of Chester, with the University of Liverpool, Wirral Metropolitan College, Birkenhead Sixth Form College and Wirral Council as co-sponsors.

It has already experienced controversy when pupils staged a protest last April in a bid to stop what they saw as staff cuts.

Around 100 children rallied to show governors they did not want favourite teachers to lose their jobs.

Some parents supported the pupils’ arguments, with one saying Park High had “taken over.”

At the time, she said: “Now we’ve got Park High site, Park High’s old head and most of Park High’s staff.

"Why didn’t they just say at the beginning they’re going to close Rock Ferry and refurbish Park High?”

Comments(42)

bigfoot says...
1:02pm Tue 17 Jan 12

So whats next? Comprhensive in general haven't worked and now the Academys look like going the same way!

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rachrads says...
1:24pm Tue 17 Jan 12

I have heard so much about the school... a nightmare.. wouldn't put my dog in it..

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5059 says...
1:45pm Tue 17 Jan 12

Appointing the incumbent HT of one of the merging schools along with his deputy was never going to work! The Academy needed someone as Principal who had nothing to do with either school, there was always going to be bad blood from the merging school because they were treated unfairly and that is why someone with no connection to either school - a fresh pair of eyes should have been appointed.

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casandra says...
2:00pm Tue 17 Jan 12

I can't imagine that Park High wanted this merger any more than Rock Ferry did. However, the staff and pupils behaved in a more dignified manner and accepted the inevitable.
I just hope that the consequences of these changes at a crucial time have been thought through to their logical conclusion.

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nivekd says...
2:26pm Tue 17 Jan 12

We could have seen this coming when David Hughes was sent packing. Have a look at http://www.tes.co.uk
/article.aspx?storyc
ode=6020931
and http://antiacademies
.org.uk/
The problem is the dismantling of local education authorities and the failure to provide a decent local school for all children not just the rich, Academies were invented by Blair and continued by the Tories and fit with the rest of their upside-down world.

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janee says...
2:30pm Tue 17 Jan 12

I do wish those that talk about comprehensive schools failing would give their evidence. I have never seen any and believe it is a misunderstanding of the facts by comparing comprehensive schools with selective grammar schools.

The opposition to comprehensive education has always been ideologically, not factually, based and does not contribute to any discussion about education.

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janee says...
2:32pm Tue 17 Jan 12

However, it is true that several reports have claimed that the academy programme has not been the success claimed by politicians, despite all the extra money wasted on it. One such report was a National Audit Office report.

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steady cyclist says...
4:31pm Tue 17 Jan 12

It must be one of the few schools where the teachers stand outside chain smoking in the park,and throwing fag ends on the floor, will somebody think of the squirrels who may now have a nicotine habit.

Also why is there a police officer outside every morning.

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5059 says...
5:12pm Tue 17 Jan 12

steady cyclist wrote:
It must be one of the few schools where the teachers stand outside chain smoking in the park,and throwing fag ends on the floor, will somebody think of the squirrels who may now have a nicotine habit.

Also why is there a police officer outside every morning.
In the school's defence it isn't the only school where the teachers stand outside smoking, they're not allowed to smoke anywhere onsite so if they can't give up they have to go off site - there is one school where they are actually standing on the main road with cigarettes and cups of coffee! Each school has a community liason police officer and each one interreacts with the school in their own way, perhaps this one thinks that by being there everyday and greeting the students it takes away that 'barrier'.

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5059 says...
5:18pm Tue 17 Jan 12

casandra wrote:
I can't imagine that Park High wanted this merger any more than Rock Ferry did. However, the staff and pupils behaved in a more dignified manner and accepted the inevitable.
I just hope that the consequences of these changes at a crucial time have been thought through to their logical conclusion.
I stand by the fact that Rock Ferry were treated unfairly, the promised transition time was never going to be delivered and it wasn't only the staff that were misled on this. It was always going to be difficult merging two schools on the site of one where the staff and the pupils considered it 'theirs' and this is why I feel it was a mistake appointing the incumbent head, there needed to be some neutrality there and the Governors (not to mention the LA) should have thought this through better. We now have more unstability and uncertainty until a new team can be appointed which is certainly not what this school needs.

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cat lady 13 says...
5:59pm Tue 17 Jan 12

my son is in year 10 its been the worst 12 months for them first day they opend a child was taken to hospital due to fighting at lunch time since then the has been a lot of bulling its a known thing rocky and park hate each other and the is going to be trubble the reason i moved was to make shure he didnt go to rockferry school first iv herd of the teachers leaving as well

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casandra says...
6:57pm Tue 17 Jan 12

I think the academy was ill conceived from the start.
Merging the two schools was seen as way of addressing falling rolls and cost cutting. Because of PPI, it would have cost a lot to close the Park High building. Had the staff and students been considered, it would have been admitted that facilities were better at Rock Ferry.
It is only human nature that Rock Ferry staff would prefer their senior leadership team, and Park High, theirs. Now Park Highs' senior leadership team is gone, and a Rock Ferry manager appointed acting head. This strikes me as a recipe for disaster. I agree that someone with no connection to either schoolwould be a less contentious appointment.
As for the board of governors who appointed the previous principal, they have tacitly admitted that they made a mistake. Perhaps they should resign before they make another.

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Latte_Radio says...
7:45pm Tue 17 Jan 12

The two vice principals are not Rock Ferry Staff. One is a neutral and one is from the former Park High School.
The acting head is also neutral. Knowing the staff from UAB, I believe that the school, with its new management will continue to succeed and provide a sound education for the pupils. Onwards and Upwards

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Cheesy Peas says...
9:32pm Tue 17 Jan 12

Another stunning achievement for Wirral.

No doubt the council will tell is this was there plan all along after all, and mark it up as their latest success.

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casandra says...
9:40pm Tue 17 Jan 12

Apologies for my error. (Latte_Radio). I hope you are right, but I fear that some good teachers will be looking for other jobs. The governors have handled this very poorly.

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Latte_Radio says...
10:22pm Tue 17 Jan 12

Great teachers have been lost already, but teachers are professionals and they will endeavour to make the Academy work. University of Chester should have employed a neutral, they did not and now the governors are rectifying that situation. Mistakes have been made but the future looks bright.

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Positive thinker says...
10:24pm Tue 17 Jan 12

No one has mentioned the miss behaved
kids,who would want to be the top teacher,he's is proabley relieved

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Marjestic says...
2:24am Wed 18 Jan 12

I can't believe some of the really bad spelling on some of the comments on this topic, especially as all make reference to education or lack of it.

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Liz Ruby says...
10:52am Wed 18 Jan 12

Sheena Shanahan is a brilliant and dedicated professional. She has served the school with utter dedication, achieving outstanding results for her students. This situation is absurd.
Shame on the troublemakers who cooked up charges against Sheena and Steve. Shame on those who believed them.

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cat lady 13 says...
11:59am Wed 18 Jan 12

Liz Ruby wrote:
Sheena Shanahan is a brilliant and dedicated professional. She has served the school with utter dedication, achieving outstanding results for her students. This situation is absurd.
Shame on the troublemakers who cooked up charges against Sheena and Steve. Shame on those who believed them.
what are the charges against sheena and steve

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Dantealighieri says...
12:10pm Wed 18 Jan 12

Janee-'I do wish those that talk abut comprehensive schools failing would give their evidence'. To save swapping statistics, the simple answer is, parents. In an effort to provide their child with a decent education in the shambolic system that now exists in this country, parents that can afford it, will up sticks and move. This is a simple example. I have never known any parent who has fought tooth and nail to leave the selection areas of Deeside and Bebington to take advantage of a comprehensive education, but I know quite a few who have made sacrifices to bring their child into it. The academy schools are not being introduced because of the success of the comprehensive system, but because of its failure. It is beyond belief that a generation or two ago the education system in this country was one of the best in the world, and now it slides slowly down the International League Table of our main competitors. The reason is not because children are more stupid, but because of political interference in the desire to use education as a means of social engineering, and by doing so deny that some run faster than others, some jump higher than others, and others are more academic than others, in other words, there must be no losers. Children need to be stretched to match their abilities, in education, one size does not fit all.

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Cheesy Peas says...
1:48pm Wed 18 Jan 12

This story is tagged "exclusive" on the Daily Post website, a full 24 hours after it genuinely did appear exclusively here.

They also tried to claim credit for the Martin Morton whistleblowing scandal.

Does the Daily Post have any of its own stories anymore? Or is that why it has closed down?

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casandra says...
8:45pm Wed 18 Jan 12

Liz Ruby wrote:
Sheena Shanahan is a brilliant and dedicated professional. She has served the school with utter dedication, achieving outstanding results for her students. This situation is absurd.
Shame on the troublemakers who cooked up charges against Sheena and Steve. Shame on those who believed them.
Sheena is not only a dedicated and inspirational teacher, she is a dedicated and inspirational leader. She always had time for her staff, whether their problems were professional or personal. At least half of the staff held her in considerable esteem and affection.
There were no problems with "staff unity" at Park High School. Could this possibly be an indication of where the problems lie?
Shame is needed, not least by a board of governors who have allowed themselves to be manipulated into allowing these resignations.
Park High improved beyond measure under Steves leadership, and he could have done the same for the Academy, given co-operation.
That Rock Ferry staff are in the minority is a myth. Staff are 50/50 from both schools. Park High went through the redundancy process well ahead of the introduction of the Academy. Rock Ferry didn't. Consequently, it was left to Steve to do it. He is nothing if not fair, and Rock Ferry went through exactly the same process as Park High had done, with the agreement of the unions.
The board of governors has a responsibility to the staff and the students, and they have not considered the students at all. They have failed miserably, and should have the decency to recognise this and resign. Who can have any confidence in them after this fiasco.

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whatdotheythinkweare says...
9:40am Thu 19 Jan 12

Liz Ruby wrote:
Sheena Shanahan is a brilliant and dedicated professional. She has served the school with utter dedication, achieving outstanding results for her students. This situation is absurd.
Shame on the troublemakers who cooked up charges against Sheena and Steve. Shame on those who believed them.
"troublemakers"... "Charges".... ??

More needs to be reported on this... Parents who are making decisions for attendance in the coming years need to know what's happened and going on...

Its wrong to announce this double resignation without declaring what is behind it.

Was it poor management issues? Financial corruption? were claims substantiated or falsely made? Was it contract changes? Did they walk or did they have no real choice?


If you are aware of the claims made against Steve McMahon and Sheena Shanahan then perhaps you could report it here, for the benefit of future parents whom it is relevant to!

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Realistically speaking says...
9:55am Thu 19 Jan 12

Thank God Ridgeway High and pupils resisted the efforts of Mr Field and co to send them down the same route. The school is now one to be proud of. Park High was beginning to do well - I just dont understand the logic...

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casandra says...
9:57am Thu 19 Jan 12

No one but the board of governors has the full facts, but there is no suggestion of wrongdoing. As far as anyone knows, a small minority of staff who transferred from Rock Ferry were unhappy at the redundancy process and the posts they got in the Academy. They seem to have blamed Sreve and Sheena and had an orchestrated campaign to get them out. The Governors were warned that there would be speculation, but seemed to feel that reputations were of no consequence. Yet another mistake.

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Carpe Diem! says...
1:46pm Thu 19 Jan 12

-"a small number of Rock Ferry staff"???

Hold on - a merger cannot be defined by 11 Rock Ferry redundancies against 2 Park High - 20 management & responsibility roles to Park High staff and 7 to Rock Ferry - and until YOU Know the 'actual' circumstances of the redundancy process; how unorthodox and unethical it was; how fantastic, dedicated and charismatic staff were shown such disrespect and now, with certain people who flourished (in a sycophantic way!!) see fit to rubbish peoples' right to protest at being mistreated!! My backside!! ;-0

Maybe you should talk, quietly, to those 'troublesome' Rock Ferrians about lying down and 'taking it like a man' rather than protesting - which is their right! Right? As parents, it's our responsibility to teach our charges to stand up for what's right - face up to wrongdoers and wrongdoing!?

Maybe some of you who feel that Ms Shannahan and Mr McMahon were Gurus and bastions of professionalism (snort-chuckle!) should JUST TRY to look beyond your own, selfish noses (for once!). Try to be objective and see across the barbed wire of your small minds.

Finally - ponder this! Remember the old cliché... 'no smoke without fire'? ... And my Parthian shot... the old Jewish proverb, and my favourite... " if ten people say you look poorly... LIE DOWN!" - meaning, there was obviously SO MUCH wrong that there was no way back!! ;-)

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Wirrallad says...
4:53pm Thu 19 Jan 12

Carpe Diem! wrote:
-"a small number of Rock Ferry staff"???

Hold on - a merger cannot be defined by 11 Rock Ferry redundancies against 2 Park High - 20 management & responsibility roles to Park High staff and 7 to Rock Ferry - and until YOU Know the 'actual' circumstances of the redundancy process; how unorthodox and unethical it was; how fantastic, dedicated and charismatic staff were shown such disrespect and now, with certain people who flourished (in a sycophantic way!!) see fit to rubbish peoples' right to protest at being mistreated!! My backside!! ;-0

Maybe you should talk, quietly, to those 'troublesome' Rock Ferrians about lying down and 'taking it like a man' rather than protesting - which is their right! Right? As parents, it's our responsibility to teach our charges to stand up for what's right - face up to wrongdoers and wrongdoing!?

Maybe some of you who feel that Ms Shannahan and Mr McMahon were Gurus and bastions of professionalism (snort-chuckle!) should JUST TRY to look beyond your own, selfish noses (for once!). Try to be objective and see across the barbed wire of your small minds.

Finally - ponder this! Remember the old cliché... 'no smoke without fire'? ... And my Parthian shot... the old Jewish proverb, and my favourite... " if ten people say you look poorly... LIE DOWN!" - meaning, there was obviously SO MUCH wrong that there was no way back!! ;-)
It strikes me that the only people who are losing out in all of this are the students. As a parent it is the most important thing in the world to me that my 'charge' is well cared for during the eight hours a day she is in school. I chose her school because I believe it is the best school for her. All these issues of 'staff unity' and 'troublemakers' make me wonder whether that choice was the right one. If the staff can't put aside their differences and move on now that the inevitable has happened, it is a very poor outlook for the school. Not everyone wins and, in my opinion, there shouldn't be 'winners' and 'losers' jut dedicated professionals to whom I can entrust the care of my most precious asset. Unfortunately, based on comments posted here, it would seem that personal issues are affecting teachers ability and for this reason maybe parents need to consider whether this school is the right choice for their children.

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Carpe Diem! says...
6:08pm Thu 19 Jan 12

@ Wirrallad - you're absolutely right! As a parent myself, I too made my choice based on what I deemed the right criteria. The point I made was addressed to those supporting the two senior managers, in my opinion - in an overly blinkered & biased way - but to retrace my steps, I know the staff being labelled 'troublemakers' (and the like) were, as I recall, were very hard working, totally dedicated and devoted to their (and I recycle the word) charges! Some staff spent every evening working with mine after school, selflessly - and as parents, we respected this!

The children... OUR children are THE most important concern in all this - but to achieve success, harmony and seamless integration one requires the 'guides' in all this to act with integrity, transparency and equality!

I now see the way clear for a greater, brighter new path for the Academy! Mistakes were made, rectified and now to move forward!

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casandra says...
7:16pm Thu 19 Jan 12

I understand that there is a new Acting Principal now in post, so I will make no further comment after this one. I wish him well, and hope that he manages the task of uniting the staff for the lasting benefit of the school and especially for the students.

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Carpe Diem! says...
8:13pm Thu 19 Jan 12

Here here, Casandra! ;-)

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Moon Shine says...
10:20pm Thu 19 Jan 12

In any form of professional life you have to act with utmost integrity, and I am afraid that the proportion of Park High staff retained compared to Rock Ferry smacks as favouritism. Thankfully a neutral principal can be appointed so that the interests of the kids can become paramount once again, good news for the parents at last. I urge all staff to now set their differences aside and put the kids first.

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Wirrallad says...
5:14pm Fri 20 Jan 12

Carpe diem-the park high school teachers are just as dedicated as your experience of rock ferry high teachers and I've watched committed, caring teachers from there leave too. It's 'industry' now and acceptance rather than 'fight' is key. It concerns me most that this academy has been open for over a year now and still 'staff unity' is an issue. The new principal clearly has their work cut out if grown adults can't put aside their differences and move on.

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Carpe Diem! says...
1:12am Sat 21 Jan 12

I agree with the latter part of your comment, but why should anyone with morals, principles and integrity 'accept' injustice or mistreatment? That's folly and it's frightening that teaching & education be deemed an 'industry'!? Or we're you referring to the effort required by the whole staff to rise from the ashes?

The differences you mention are clearly profound and not easily dismissed by a simplistic 'tag'. The Hilton Hotel chain pay their staff better than most and offer perks too, consequently their staff are notoriously hard grafters who enjoy a strong ethos and atmosphere of being valued! I rather suspect that this was NOT the case in the Academy.

Here's hoping that a new focus and senior management crew will engender a wonderful new future for the young people who attend the school!!!

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Wirrallad says...
8:46am Sat 21 Jan 12

Carpe Diem! wrote:
I agree with the latter part of your comment, but why should anyone with morals, principles and integrity 'accept' injustice or mistreatment? That's folly and it's frightening that teaching & education be deemed an 'industry'!? Or we're you referring to the effort required by the whole staff to rise from the ashes?

The differences you mention are clearly profound and not easily dismissed by a simplistic 'tag'. The Hilton Hotel chain pay their staff better than most and offer perks too, consequently their staff are notoriously hard grafters who enjoy a strong ethos and atmosphere of being valued! I rather suspect that this was NOT the case in the Academy.

Here's hoping that a new focus and senior management crew will engender a wonderful new future for the young people who attend the school!!!
That's as maybe but the people who work at the Hilton aren't messing with my child's education. Perhaps also I should have been clearer...the academy is 'merged'; park and rock ferry are shut allegience should now be to the students, whichever school they come from.

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steady cyclist says...
11:45am Sat 21 Jan 12

The lights where on late last night and cars in the car park, possibly staff rehersing their lines for the arrival of the new bosses on Monday.

which should have happened from the start last year,along with a new name for the school.

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reliant22 says...
10:25pm Sat 21 Jan 12

my comment was related to councillors, all 66 of them, who failed to exercise their mandate from the electorate to hold Wirral MBC officers to account over the scandal of overcharging.
Councillors are, of course, subject to scrutiny from their Political Party`s whip, and are almost scared to `rock the boat`. Councillors (blue eyed Party members) appointed to Scrutiny Committees are just as useless, simply because they have not had the training relevant to the subject they are meant to scrutinize.
In summary: we could save a fortune on Councillors` expenses if we got rid of them and elected a Mayor and changed the system to also elect a CEO, then there would be accountability.
Voting papers should include a `none of the above`insert for disillusioned voters.

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R. McGolpin says...
12:28am Tue 24 Jan 12

I am a former student of Park High School and would just like to express my disgust at the thought of the School accepting Sheena Shanahan’s resignation.
I am now a fully qualified Teacher myself and to this day she is the most dedicated Teacher I have ever met. She always put her students first even coming in whilst she was suffering from illness to get her year 11s through their GCSE.
I can honestly say that without her dedication I would have not passed my GCSE in languages. This is a sad day for the pupils of the Academy at losing such a great Teacher.

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R. McGolpin says...
12:29am Tue 24 Jan 12

I am a former student of Park High School and would just like to express my disgust at the thought of the School accepting Sheena Shanahan’s resignation.
I am now a fully qualified Teacher myself and to this day she is the most dedicated Teacher I have ever met. She always put her students first even coming in whilst she was suffering from illness to get her year 11s through their GCSE.
I can honestly say that without her dedication I would have not passed my GCSE in languages. This is a sad day for the pupils of the Academy at losing such a great Teacher.

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katryn says...
10:12pm Tue 24 Jan 12

I have a son in the Academy in year 10, my younger son on leaving primary school wont be following in his footsteps attending this school.
Since it merged together when he was originally Park High pupil communication with teachers regarding my son's schooling there and the problems he is having is really not good. My son isnt doing well he needs more help and yet is left to carry on and hence getting poor result etc in classwork etc

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