Miss Carter’s Departure

Strood Academy Letter image

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your continued support. 

I am writing to inform you that Miss Carter, our Assistant Principal for SEND and Inclusion, will be leaving the academy on Friday, 31st January 2025. Miss Carter joined us in September 2023 and has expertly transformed our SEND provision through both rapid growth and strategic leadership. Her dedication has been further highlighted through her leadership of the transition and opening phases of our Endeavour Centre, which has been incredibly successful thus far. 

I have had the pleasure of knowing Miss Carter for several years and am well aware of the profound impact she has made on the lives of children with SEND across the South East of England. Her passion for all pupils is commendable, and her expert leadership has undeniably been an asset to Strood Academy. 

A longstanding dream of Miss Carter’s has been to open her own SEND school, and after many years of planning, we are delighted to share that this aspiration has now become a reality for her. Over recent months, she has been managing both her current role and her future project exceptionally well; however, now is the appropriate time for her to focus fully on this new endeavour. 

While we will undoubtedly miss Miss Carter, we are grateful for her excellent work in supporting our SEND pupils at Strood Academy. We wish her all the very best in this new chapter of her career and are confident she will achieve great success. 

To ensure reassurance for both parents and pupils during this transition phase, Miss Carter will remain at the academy for a handover period of three days a week until the February half term, followed by two days a week until Easter. This well-planned and staggered transition will ensure that we leave no stone unturned in supporting our SEND provision. 

Looking ahead, I would like to inform you that we have made swift changes to our leadership model. Miss Lindsay, our Vice Principal and Head of Victory College, will be taking on the leadership of SEND and the Endeavour Centre. Miss Lindsay is highly experienced in this area, holding the NASENCO award and working closely with Miss Carter and the SEND team for many years. 

For your further reassurance, we currently have two SENCOs in post: Miss White for Key Stage 3, including the transition of Year 6, and Mrs Ward for Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5. Additionally, we have recently appointed another teaching assistant to best support our SEND pupils. 

Should you have any questions regarding this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me directly via email at jon.richardson@stroodacademy.org

Sending my best wishes,
Mr Jon Richardson | Principal