New principal at specialist education academy in Shrewsbury

The new principal of a specialist education academy in Shrewsbury says she is keen for it to play a more active role in the local community – with parents closely involved in the decision-making process.  

Lucy Lee has over 20 years of experience in specialist education, working with children who have physical disabilities, autism, communication needs and challenging behaviour.

She has arrived at Severndale Specialist Academy after more than three years at the helm of the Ofsted-rated ‘Good’ Dorin Park School and Specialist SEN College in Chester, having held senior leadership positions in the education sector for more than a decade.

“I want to create a school which is respected and admired – and which is seen as a true community asset,” she said. “That means being open and collaborative with parents, staff and unions, to make sure they are all on the journey with us.

“One of the big focuses for the coming year is to work as closely as possible with the local community to show what a fantastic school this is, and ensure families are as involved as possible with school life.

“I want to build and establish ‘The Severndale Way’ – something which everyone buys into and understands, and which meets pupils’ needs from a curriculum, independence and care needs perspective.

“The Severndale Way is about accountability and ambition, and it’s something I am committed to drive on behalf of the school.”

Severndale, which has more than 400 pupils and over 300 staff, is now part of the Learning Community Trust, a multi-academy trust with more than a dozen sites across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

Lucy said: “It’s important for the leadership team to be present in classes, in corridors, and at the start and the end of the day, so that they have a true feel for what is happening on a day-to-day basis in and around the school.

“I know there has been a significant amount of change in the leadership team at Severndale since Covid, so I want to inject stability. A lot of work has already been done over the past few months to put building blocks in place for continuity.

“We are keen to work with fellow professionals in the local authority, as well as with local partners and businesses – it’s about being open and collaborative in everything we do, and developing expertise in our teaching team.

“We are here to improve life chances for all our pupils, because we know the more independent our young people can be, the longer they live . . . and the happier they will be.”