Superhead Mo to lead new school team

A doomed Black Country secondary is to be run by a new team led by superhead Mo Brennan under a link-up with another school.

Sneyd Community School, currently in special measures after Ofsted ruled it was failing pupils, is to join a partnership with Barr Beacon Language College in Aldridge. Barr Beacon headteacher Mrs Brennan will become executive head from September 1 this year when Dr Sean Sweeney leaves his interim post at Sneyd.

Current Barr Beacon deputy head teacher Lesley Clarke will become associate headteacher at Sneyd and be based at the school in Vernon Way, Bloxwich.

Walsall Council decided last year to close Sneyd because of falling pupil roll numbers and poor results — despite protests from parents, staff and pupils.

Bringing in Mrs Brennan, who is credited with turning around the fortunes of once-failing Hillcrest School in Netherton, will be a "positive and productive" move until it shuts in two years.

She brought Hillcrest out of special measures in 2002 and a year later Ofsted inspectors described it as "one of the most outstanding schools in the country". She was awarded the title of Dame in 2005 after meeting then Prime Minister Tony Blair to discuss her ideas about education and leadership.

Letters have been sent out to staff and students informing them of the partnership, details of which are being finalised.

Staff have also been invited to meet with Mrs Brennan and Miss Clarke this week. Graham Talbot, interim managing director of Walsall Children's Services - Serco, said: "The partnership arrangement will make the time up until the closure of Sneyd positive and productive for all involved." Mrs Brennan added: "Miss Clarke and I are excited about the opportunities this partnership will bring."