New principal at JCB school as it reopens
The JCB Academy welcomed its new principal on the day it marked its 10th anniversary and became one of the first schools in England to resume teaching following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jenny McGuirk, a former Stafford headteacher, has taken over the reins at the Staffordshire school 10 years since it opened to develop the young engineers and business leaders of the future.
One of her first jobs was to welcome 225 new Year 9 and 10 students as they embarked on a special project week at Alton Castle, Alton, where they carried out activities to help them get back into the routine of schooling after their long break.
She said: “The JCB Academy’s mission to address the shortage of young people with engineering and business skills emerging from the education system is now more important than ever.
"The JCB Academy has been oversubscribed every single year since opening, has educated more than 2,500 students and propelled them into a diverse and rewarding range of jobs.
“It’s now time to get back to the business of teaching, to build on the success of the last decade and to put the next generation of students on the road to success as we work with the challenges Covid-19 presents.”
Chairman of governors Max Jeffery added: “I’m delighted to welcome Jenny McGuirk to the role of principal at the JCB Academy.
"There is a fabulous opportunity to build on the achievements of the past decade and the whole academy team is looking forward to working with Jenny as we rise to the challenges ahead.”
Focus
Jenny McGuirk joins the Rocester-based JCB Academy from the John Henry Newman Catholic College in Birmingham, where she served as principal for nine years.
She is no stranger to Staffordshire, having lived in the county for 14 years and having previously taught at the Blessed William Howard Catholic School in Stafford for five years until 2011.
She replaces Jim Wade, who has just retired after becoming the first principal in 2009.
The £22 million JCB Academy welcomed the first 120 pupils in 2010 and has been oversubscribed every single year since it opened in a Grade II listed Arkwright Mill dating from 1781.
The JCB Academy was the brainchild of Lord Bamford, who in his 45 years as Cchairman of JCB, has championed the cause of British manufacturing.
In the years before the academy opened, he voiced fears over the decline in manufacturing and the shortage of young people with engineering skills emerging from the education system.
The JCB Academy was the first school of its kind in the UK for the education of 13 to 19-year-olds with a core focus on engineering.
