THE head teacher at a popular York school has stepped down.

Gemma Greenhalgh, who has was appointed head of school at Millthorpe back in 2017 has left her job.

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The South Bank school is part of South Bank Multi Academy Trust and in a letter to parents CEO Mark Hassack thanked Mrs Greenhalgh for her work said she has recently become a grandmother and wants to spend time with her new granddaughter before moving on to her next role.

Gemma GreenhalghGemma Greenhalgh

As The Press reported at the time, Mrs Greenhalgh took on the role in September 2017 to ensure that Millthorpe retained the strong performance of recent years and continued its journey towards an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ grade. 

In April this year, following a two-day inspection, Millthorpe, which has 1078 pupils, was given a 'good' grading by inspectors, maintaining the grade it got when last inspected in 2018.

When it came to what the school needs to improve, inspectors said some pupils are absent from school too often and that these pupils miss out on learning and have gaps in their knowledge.

They said: "The school should continue to understand the causes of poor attendance and be even more robust in its approach to securing improved attendance across the school.

"Some pupils with SEND have previously not received the support that they need quickly enough. This has led to frustration for some parents and has meant that pupils with SEND have not been consistently well supported.

"The school should embed recent improvements to ensure pupils with SEND receive the support that they need promptly. 

"Some parents feel disconnected from the changes happening at the school. This has led to the school’s relationship with some stakeholders not being as strong as they could be. The school should continue to engage with the views of parents and build stronger relationships with all members of the school community."
 
In a letter to parents, the school asked for their continued support to help make further progress with attendance, SEND provision and engagement with the small number of parents who feel disconnected from the school.
 
Inspectors noted that Millthorpe’s 'tenacious approach to tackling poor attendance” is working and has resulted in an “improvement in overall attendance'.

Before coming to Millthorpe Mrs Greenhalgh was deputy head at Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School in Lancashire, and was previously at Blue Coat School, Oldham. During her time at both schools, the schools improved from Ofsted ratings of ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’.

Kavina Rothenburg, previously deputy head at Millthorpe and before that Norton College in Ryedale, is now acting head teacher.

Kavina RothenburgKavina Rothenburg (Image: Supplied)