ARK Schools has appointed Claire Edis, deputy headteacher of Parliament Hill School, London, a girls’ comprehensive, as principal designate of Bolingbroke Academy which will open in September 2012 in Wandsworth.
Ms Edis has been deputy head teacher of Parliament Hill School since 2006. She has lead responsibility for the school’s technology college specialism and for raising attainment in maths and science and design technology. She has also played a leadership role in the key stage 3, 4 and 5 curriculum and in managing behaviour and in the school’s provision of careers guidance and support, all areas in which the school was highly rated when the school achieved its recent Ofsted “Outstanding” grade. She has also been responsible for teaching and learning and for assessment and reporting and the gifted and talented and literacy support programmes.
ARK’s Director of Education, Sir Michael Wilshaw, said: “Claire has tremendous experience across all the areas that are key to creating and maintaining high standards across a school. Ofsted made clear in their inspection in November that Parliament Hill’s leadership team was crucial to achieving its outstanding rating and fully recognised the part Claire played in that achievement. I have worked with Claire as she’s sought to develop her career and I think she will make an exceptional principal for Bolingbroke Academy and make it a high achieving and successful school for local children.”
Claire Edis said: “I am delighted to be appointed to lead Bolingbroke. It is an extraordinary privilege to help create a new school and even more so to do so with the support of parents and ARK as the school’s sponsor. We have an exceptional opportunity to create a really great school that will give local children from every background the chance to succeed academically and realise their ambitions.
“I am looking forward to welcoming our first pupils in September 2012 and to Bolingbroke Academy playing a real part in the local community – just as it did when it was a hospital.”