Parents at a Nantwich primary school which was placed in special measures, are being given a chance to rename it.
A letter was issued to all parents of pupils at Wyche Primary School, on Manor Road, outlining how the school will change its image.
When Ofsted ruled it as a failing school, it was forced to become a “sponsored academy” to link it to a successful school.
From September 2015, its sponsor will be Belgrave St Bartholomew Academy in Stoke-on-Trent.
Now parents are being given a chance to choose a new name for Wyche as governors and staff look to improve its status.
They have made three name proposals – The Admiral Beatty Academy, The Nantwich Primary Academy, or Nantwich Primary Academy. Admiral David Beatty was born in Nantwich in 1871.
There will also be a change of uniform.
In a statement, Wyche chair of governors Michelle Gauntlett and headteacher Wei Lee said: “As a collective team, the staff and governors have been and still are working hard to ensure that our school can be the best it can be.
“There is still quite a way to go to reach the goal of being outstanding, but we know that we can and will reach that in the next few years with the support of The St Bart’s Academy Trust, who is our sponsoring trust from September.
“Becoming an Academy is an exciting opportunity for the school to have a fresh start.
“We do understand there is a lot of history in ‘The Wyche’ as there was when the school changed its name from Manor Road School.
“However, we can no longer be called Wyche Primary and Nursery School as we now need to include Academy in our title.
“We know our previous letter caused a lot of discussion, which shows our families and community really care about our school.
“One of the additional ways many schools choose to present a fresh start is to make changes in the way the school looks and feels. One way of doing this is to change the uniform.”
Parents are being given three colour options – teal (current school jumper colour), dark green, or navy.
Key Stage Two children will also wear a tie as part of the new look, but the basic uniform of white shirt, grey trousers/skirts, and black shoes will remain the same.
Every child will be given a new jumper or cardigan and a tie for every child in Key Stage Two.
There will be a 50% discount on additional jumpers bought before September.
The current logo, designed by one of the pupils, will not change.
Staff morale must be at an all time low, but I hope they can recover. Sometimes people are quick to criticise teachers, when it is of the most stressful and difficult professions.
All of these comments are right. By not giving us the option of Wyche Academy as a name choice it appears that leaders of the school have already decided thatWyche is dead or is it leaders of the stoke academy who have made the decision?
I think the dead wood people refer to may have already gone but so too have outstanding staff like Mrs Davies. Everyone needs to come together but we can only do that if the school are open and honest. Come on wyche tell us why it cant be Wyche Academy?
I echo the comments re Mrs Spence – amazing teacher and leader.
sack all the original staff and governors, close it and start again.
Hated this school so much it’s awful and should be shut down , my mum made my move to high fields primary at the end of year 4 and it was th best choise she ever did it had nice people.
Changing the name changes nothing. Keep the heritage of the name, changing it to some trendy “academy” won’t make a blind bit of difference.
Stupid, pen pushing, bean counting idiots.
I agree just call it wyche academy, or manor road academy
A school is in special measures for a reason. It has nothing to do with its name or the uniform. Changing those helps to create a new identity hoping people forget the reputation associated with the schools current name. Like all businesses, schools success is generally down to its leadership, not its name or uniform. Big changes to how the staff are supported to improve all aspects of school life for all children within the school is what is needed, hence being linked to a successful academy in Stoke. Keep the name loose the dead wood.
Agree with “love wyche’s ” comment call it the wyche academy so at least it has some of its origins left 🙂
Renaming or changing a uniform doesn’t change the fact the school is failing and the leadership is what I feel needs reorganising, not the name or uniform! If a school is failing, correcting WHY it’s failing is the only way to make a fresh start! This whole becoming an academy thing is what schools on special measures end up having to do! It’s happening all over the country! This used to be a GREAT SCHOOL! Correct the reasons it’s failing and move on up!
I think it’s good because it’s like a fresh start. My kids proper love be school now because Mrs Spence has done a good job and I think they are a good school like others in nantwich.
The afternoons when you can go in with the kids is proper good.
I think it’s good that they are having a fresh start it gets rid of all the crap names that other peopul call it. My kids who are in different classes in the school are all enjoying it and I have been going to lots of the afternoons where parents are invited in. The school is really making an effort and my kids are happyer too!
Mrs spence is brilliant and doing a great job.
How on earth will changing the name or uniform improve the performance of the school. I suspect a change of leadership is what is called for !!
Mrs lee is a good teacher and I had her when I was at high fields cp she was moved to wyche to make it better
No foubt miss lee is a good teacher. She wasn’t moved to Wyche? She applied to be headteacher and got the job. Trouble is that Wyche has gone backwards since January 2013 and now having to suffer special measures as a result to move forward.
Why dont they just call the school The Wyche Academy?