Shock departure of Philip Masterson after less than a year in the job

The Headteacher of Chiswick School, Philip Masterson is to leave the school after less than a year in the job.

Staff were called to a meeting yesterday (Monday, 26 March) where they were told that Mr. Masterson would not be continuing in the role he officially took up in September 2017.

It is understood that he is leaving for personal reasons.

The Board of Governors has sent a letter to parents informing them that the Deputy Headteacher will take over the role in the interim.

Philip Masterson

The departure of Mr. Masterson is a blow for the school which has been working hard to raise standards following a downgrading of its Ofsted rating and the resignation last year of its long-serving Headteacher Tony Ryan.

The appointment of Mr. Masterson was seen as a fresh start for the school and an Ofsted Inspection carried out on October 3rd, 2017, when he was only a few weeks in the job, had praised him for getting off to a good start. The report praised "effective leadership" which was "already shifting the culture of the school at a rapid pace." The 2017/18 school year had also seen a reorganised and refocused senior leadership team, which the Ofsted report had said was already beginning to show results.

The letter sent to parents says; "We are writing to inform you that our Headteacher, Mr Masterson, has decided to leave Chiswick School for personal reasons. The Board of Governors would like to thank Mr Masterson for his contribution to date.

"We have already started the process to recruit a new Headteacher and we will provide a further update on this in due course, however, in the interim, our Deputy Headteacher, Ms Mills, will take on the role of Acting Headteacher.

"Since September 2017, a number of key initiatives have been put in place which are already having a positive impact on the progress our pupils are making. This action was clearly recognised by Ofsted in their visit last year. Ms Mills is a very experienced senior leader and is well placed to continue this programme of school improvement as well as ensuring we maintain a clear focus on the important examinations being taken by pupils next term. Ms Mills is ably supported by a strong senior leadership team and a committed group of highly regarded staff and we are therefore confident that the School will continue to build on the progress made to date for the remainder of the school year and beyond."

The school has had a difficult time in the past couple of years, following the previous Ofsted report in November 2016 which saw the school drop from its 'Good' to a 'Requires Improvement' rating. The report badly affected morale in the school and long-serving head teacher Tony Ryan stood down. An interim Headteacher, Jill Coughla, was put in place until September 2017 when Mr. Masterson took over.

Previous Headteacher Tony Ryan had overseen the conversion of Chiswick School (formerly Chiswick Community School), into an Academy. In November 2015, when the school was downgraded by Ofsted,Mr Ryan described the report as ‘very harsh’. He resigned in January 2017.

March 26, 2018