Cowes Enterprise College, an Ormiston Academy, has announced that current Principal John Peckham is to retire, prompting a recruitment campaign for a new leader.
John Peckham, working closely with Ormiston Academies Trust, has overseen the stabilisation of the academy and set it on a course for success. Last summer the academy achieved one of the best set of GCSE results on the Island and its recent Progress 8 results – which are the government’s new indices for school performance – showed improvements year-on-year for the last 3 years, with the academy scoring well above the Isle of Wight average.
Over the coming months John Peckham will support the new Principal in a strategic advisory role, and the appointee will have access to a wealth of experience from the Ormiston Academies Trust team regionally and centrally.
John Peckham, Principal at Cowes Enterprise College, said:
“While I am sad to be reducing the time I spend at Cowes, I am proud of the solid foundations that have been put in place for sustained improvement at the academy.
“Cowes Enterprise Academy is quickly becoming a school of choice on the Island, with Y7 applications up 13% since 2014. The number of students completing Year 13 has trebled and more students than ever before are going on to Russell Group universities.
“I am looking forward to welcoming a new Principal to the academy and working with them as they settle into the role. This is a fantastic opportunity for an ambitious and talented new leader to keep driving the academy forward.”
Toby Salt, CEO of Ormiston Academies Trust, said:
“We would like to thank John for his commitment and hard work at Cowes Enterprise College. He has been a brilliant colleague to work with and he should be proud of what he has delivered for OAT students on the Isle of Wight.
“John’s will be big shoes to fill, but it is a great role at a great school on a beautiful island and we are confident that we can attract first class candidates to build on John’s legacy.
“We wish John all the best as he moves towards retirement.”
