Back to school with a new deputy head at Chulmleigh College

As pupils returned to Chulmleigh College today (Thursday, September 4) for the first day of a new school year, the college also welcomed a new deputy headteacher to its ranks.

Abigail Thorncroft joins the secondary school as its sole deputy head following Neil Payne’s promotion to headteacher this autumn following 11 years as deputy headteacher himself.

Above: Newly promoted Chulmleigh College headteacher Neil Payne welcomes the school’s new deputy head, Abigail Thorncroft. Credit: Chulmleigh College

Mr Payne said: “We are delighted to welcome Ms Thorncroft to our staff at Chulmleigh College. One of the strengths of our school has been the long-standing nature, experience and skill of our teaching staff. 

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“Ms Thorncroft is already an experienced senior teacher, having worked as an assistant headteacher in two inner city London schools. She brings a wealth of experience and a complete focus on ensuring that our pupils achieve the best GCSE grades they possibly can.”

Chulmleigh College has just announced another set year of outstanding examination results, with the standards in the school placing it among the highest performing in England. 

The school said pupils continue to thrive on the most rigorous curriculum possible, with more than twice the national average of pupils entered for the Gold Standard English Baccalaureate – more than two thirds of them achieving the standard at grade 4 or higher.

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Mr Payne added: “We look forward to continued GCSE success at Chulmleigh with Ms Thorncroft ensuring that our academic standards remain sky-high. 

“As a teacher of Spanish, Ms Thorncroft shares our commitment to high quality modern foreign language education for all and the English Baccalaureate as the corner stone of our curriculum.”