First head of Shrewsbury Academy revealed

Melanie Hooson was chosen to take charge of the academy by the board of Shrewsbury Academies Trust at the end of March.

Shrewsbury Academy has been formed by the merger of the county town’s Grange and Sundorne secondary schools and will officially start operating as one entity on September 1.

Mrs Hooson, who has worked at several secondary schools in the North West before taking on the role of acting head of Sundorne School last year, was “the outstanding candidate”, according the Geoff Pettengell, executive principal of SAT.

“Mel is very committed with a clear purpose for driving standards and pupils’ achievements forward,” said Mr Pettengell.

“She has excellent interpersonal skills, as well as the experience and grasp of the necessary systems to lead the staff with a clear vision.

“I am very pleased with the appointment of Mel and I have no doubt whatsoever that she is the right person to develop Shrewsbury Academy into an outstanding centre of education.”

Mrs Hooson, who lives in Shrewsbury, has been the deputy head teacher of two schools in and around Manchester before taking on her post at Sundorne last year.

“I was delighted to be given this opportunity,” she said.

“This is the eighth secondary school I will have worked at and none have had such a strong sense of community as what I’ve been experiencing at Sundorne and the Grange.

“The staff have been incredibly supportive throughout a period of change, and I really enjoy working with the students.

“All the ingredients are in place for Shrewsbury Academy to be a superb school.”

Shrewsbury Academy will operate across the two sites occupied by the Grange and Sundorne schools for the next two and a half years, though the long-term vision of SAT is to create brand new premises to house the school in one location.

As well as the two secondary schools, SAT also operates the Grange and Martin Wilson primary schools in Shrewsbury, and Longlands Primary School in Market Drayton.