A new head has been appointed to replace the veteran and well-respected Denis Oliver at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School.
The school and sixth form college said that following an extensive recruitment and selection process, its board of governors had voted unanimously to appoint Nigel Bielby as the new executive headteacher.
Mr Bielby has been a member of the senior leadership of the school for more than 10 years and has served as interim headteacher since the retirement last summer of Mr Oliver. He has led the school through the current pandemic.
Christina Burgess, chair of governors, commented: “The board of governors, having run a national recruitment campaign, are delighted to be able to confirm Nigel as our new, permanent headteacher. We know that in making this appointment now we will create security and certainty during a period of rapid change.
“We are delighted that Nigel has accepted the role and we are looking forward to continuing to work with him as we prepare to welcome all students and staff back to school on 8th March.”
Mr Bielby, (52), has been a member of the senior leadership team of the school for the past 12 years and is well known to students, staff and parents.
Under his leadership, the school has had to deal with the current pandemic, which has included two lockdowns and the movement to online learning platforms for students and staff in what has been the most challenging period.
He said: “I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead our school through the next stage of development. This is an incredible opportunity.
“We have a fantastic school community here at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive school and I know what a privilege it is to serve them as headteacher.
“We have a number of exciting developments on the horizon, but our first priority now has to be to get students back to the classroom and back on track with their learning as quickly as possible.”
