Pastures new for Shrewsbury school head

Mr Barratt became headmaster of The Priory School in Shrewsbury at the start of January, and says it has so far been a fascinating experience. But he admits there were one or two raised eyebrows when he told people of the move.

"There are some people who have questioned my motives, and asked 'why would you take that career path?'," he says.

"But I have had two very different jobs, and given my vintage, I felt there was one more school left in me.

"I could have gone back into the independent sector, or to another boarding school, but I was keen to do something quite different.

"Going to a co-ed, no sixth-form comprehensive, an above-average number of pupils with special education needs, it's different, it's not better, it's not worse. But it has a broader picture to it and I thought that would be interesting."

Leaving Adams', which traces its history back to the 17th century, was unquestionably a big wrench for Mr Barratt. The 51-year-old spent 12 years at the state grammar school, initially as deputy head before being appointed headmaster six years ago.

"My time at Adams' has been both immensely rewarding and very challenging," he says.

"In some ways this is an argument to stay, but I was once told that the decision to leave a job is best made when the job is going well, and recently we have enjoyed very happy times."

It should be stressed that while The Priory may not be an elite private institution like the Shrewsbury School, or a selective beacon of excellence for high-fliers like Adams', it is hardly a "bog standard comprehensive" either.

The school, which itself started life as a single-sex grammar school, was rated "outstanding" during its last Ofsted inspection, and came third in the county when the latest education league tables were published last month. It is one of the most oversubscribed schools in the county, and has a waiting list for all year groups.

Nevertheless, a mixed comprehensive school such as The Priory will inevitably face different challenges to a single-sex selective institution such as Adams'. And Mr Barratt says building on the high standards set by his predecessor Candy Garbett will in itself present him with a stern test.

He says: "It was in a very good position, but you are then faced with the challenge of how you make an outstanding school even better? That is very interesting.

"We can't compete in terms of overall results with a school like Adams', because that is a selective school, where all pupils have already reached a certain level of attainment before they start. But we can still create very well-rounded individuals."

The phrase "bog standard comprehensive" was coined by Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell in 2001. The phrase reignited the old debate about whether a comprehensive school, which has to cater for pupils of all abilities, can really stretch the brightest pupils in the way a selective school such as Adams' can. But Mr Barratt says it is a complex subject, with no clear-cut answers.

He says: "An excellent school is an excellent school, whether it is a comprehensive school in Hackney or a school in one of the wealthier suburbs of Greater Manchester. There is really no difference, at an excellent school you will see pupils working really hard to be the best that they possibly can."

The Priory was granted academy status in 2012, and Mr Barratt says the main benefit of this was the access to extra funding.

"It does give us a bit more freedom, but there's not a huge difference," he says.

He says a shortage of money over recent years has forced other schools to make some very difficult decisions.

"Funding for some schools has become very difficult over the past four years.

"In some schools, certain subjects have had to be cut because of budgets.

"You either have to grow the school to get the money in, or you cut the staff, 80 per cent of all school costs are on staff."