Bright future as new Telford school opens doors

She is the new head of the Telford Priory School, a £16 million new build next to Oakengates Leisure Centre due to open to pupils tomorrow.

The 1,200 pupils are made up of around 800 from the former Wrockwardine Wood Arts Academy and 400 from the old Sutherland Co-Operative Academy, both of which closed in July.

Miss Jordan is the former assistant principal at Sutherland, a post she only held for six months before being catapulted into the lead role.

But, as we walk around the new site after being invited in for a special sneak peek, if there is any resentment at the new girl jumping the promotion queue it is not on show.

The head has a positive spring in her step as she bounds eagerly around the school, greeting her staff – who are frantically unpacking boxes ready for the big opening – enthusiastically with either an "hello miss" or "hello sir".

It is a strange formality at first, but it soon becomes clear that leading by example is something seen as very important by the 37-year-old from the Black Country.

The 120 teachers and support staff are to be banned from having mobile phones in school, for instance.

"I have worked in schools where you see teachers walking round on their mobile phones all the time and I just think it doesn't set a very good example," she said. "We don't need them during the school day.

"Students will be allowed to use their phones in designated areas during break and lunch times but that will be it, we don't want them out in the classrooms."

When asked if there had been any backlash to her fast rise, she said: "I don't think so, no. All of the teaching staff certainly seem very positive.

"I am sure there will have been a bit of 'who the hell is she' kind of thing but the fact is I have a proven track record. I haven't banged on about that because I don't feel its necessarily helpful.

"But I think coming in and making the improvements at Sutherland has definitely strengthened my position as I have shown what I can do."

Miss Jordan certainly comes into the job as a woman on the up. She joined Sutherland in January from the management team at George Salter Academy in West Bromwich, where she helped it gain an "outstanding" rating from Ofsted.

Her brief was simple – to improve exam results at Sutherland, where just a third of pupils got five GCSEs at grade C or above in the 2014 summer exams.

And improve it she did, with cutting-edge data analysis techniques and other improvements credited for a 16 per cent increase to 48 per cent in this year's results. Now she faces an altogether bigger challenge – bringing together two very different school communities and removing the stench of failure from the previous regime.

The facilities cannot be faulted – the school building is well set-out, impressive to look at from the inside and out.

A new state-of-the-art 3g artificial full-size football pitch, along with use of the leisure centre's swimming, athletics and tennis facilities should mean plenty of opportunities for sporting progression and a brand-new theatre with tiered seating and a large stage will be of particular attraction for former Wrockwardine Wood students, which had a strong performing arts tradition.

But, as excited as she is by her new surroundings, Miss Jordan admitted it mattered for nothing if results did not improve.

A back to basics approach is being favoured with a strong emphasis on discipline, starting with the new school uniform. Every student has been hand measured for the new uniform and have been in this week to collect it.

"No trainers, no shirts hanging out, no, no, no," Miss Jordan said.

Bad behaviour, too, will be clamped down on. A six-stage disciplinary process has been introduced which starts with informal chats and ends with suspension or expulsion.

Miss Jordan added: "Of course the target down the line has to be to improve results and to try and get an outstanding rating. But first and foremost I want this to be a place where people enjoy coming to work and where children enjoy coming to school."