AET is today announcing the new top team at Tendring Technology College (TTC), with two permanent appointments being confirmed. Michelle Hughes, who has been working at the College since January, providing additional leadership support will be the new Executive Principal, and Tom Burt the new Principal. Both will formally take up post in September at the start of the new academic year.

Since January, interim arrangements have been in place with the school led by Graeme Napier. Graeme and Michelle have worked together to put in place a clear programme of work to help make TTC the outstanding school that pupils, parents and staff deserve. Michelle is passionate about driving this work forward and continuing to rebuild relationships with families and the wider local community.

Michelle has substantial experience both as a teacher, senior leader, Principal and Executive Principal. Having worked across the education sector she brings a great deal of experience to TTC and has particular expertise in quality first teaching, curriculum development, inclusion, SEND and community cohesion. Having worked in outstanding schools and colleges for over a decade, she appreciates the importance of quality across the board and knows what it takes to get there and stay there.

Tom Burt is currently Vice principal at East Point Academy a secondary school in Lowestoft and prior to that was Acting Principal at Great Yarmouth Primary Academy. He was part of the senior team that took the school from ‘special measures’ to ‘good’ with leadership being judged as outstanding. As a leader in Great Yarmouth and in Lowestoft, he fully understands and appreciates the context of leading a school in a coastal town and is delighted to be joining the TTC team.

As part of the process to appoint the new Principal, AET established a community panel which fully supported the recommendation that Mr Burt be appointed.

Rebecca Boomer-Clark, Chief Executive of AET schools said:

“We are committed to doing absolutely everything necessary to turn around TTC. The last few months have been about resetting relationships and building trust and I’m proud of the work that Graeme Napier and Michelle Hughes have led since January.

“This is a school that deserves so much more than it has had in the recent past – and so I’m delighted that we are appointing a substantive Executive Principal and Principal in Michelle and Tom. They will make a formidable team and I have every confidence that under their leadership TTC will become an exceptional school once again, where sustainable excellence is the norm in every classroom, every day.

“I am particularly pleased that we were able to draw on the views of parents through the community panel and we value enormously the newly established relationships we are building. There is a lot more work still to be done, but I know that the new TTC team supported by AET is more than capable of rising to that challenge.”

Michelle Hughes, designate Executive Principal said:

“I feel both privileged and excited to be appointed as Executive Principal at TTC. It is a tremendous college, and I am very much looking forward to working closely with the new Principal, staff, pupils and wider community as we continue to build on the good work that has already started.”

Tom Burt, designate Principal said:

“It is an honour to join Tendring College. I have grown up and worked in coastal communities and I have a passion for the individuals that live in these areas. The staff, pupils and families of Tendring College deserve a school that they can be proud of.”

Katy Paternoster, a member of the community panel said:

“As a community panel, we were very impressed with Mr. Burt's existing knowledge of the local area and the key priorities regarding how to better involve the local community in TTC's journey forwards. We all felt excited about Mr. Burt's desire to maintain high aspirations among our young people and his understanding of what the challenges are at this time for TTC.”