TAVISTOCK College is to have a new principal for the next two terms, following last week?s announcement that its present head, John Simes, will not be returning to the school. Mr Simes told staff and students he would be retiring early last term and he had intended to see the college through its looming Ofsted inspection in February. But in a letter to parents, he announced his decision not to return to school on health grounds following the Christmas break . Now the college governors have asked Chris Powell, the principal of Okehampton College, to lead the school while they continue to advertise for a permanent replacement for Mr Simes. Mr Powell said: ?There is no way the governors could appoint anybody else before September and given that Tavistock has Ofsted coming up, I have been asked to come in as acting principal for two terms. ?But I do want to make it clear that this is only a temporary position and I am not going to be a candidate for the appointment.? Mr Powell said he would not be splitting his time between Okehampton and Tavistock but would be in Tavistock full time until September, starting next Monday. ?My vice-principal at Okehampton will take on my role, so he will be looking after the school on a day-to-day basis,? he said. ?It?s a difficult time for any school with Ofsted coming up, but without a principal in post, Devon LEA in conjunction with the governors at Tavistock felt it would be a good idea to have somebody there to take the lead. ?But Tavistock is a good school and there are lots of reasons to be optimistic for the future with the new building programme, I am sure it will go from strength to strength.? Phil Norrey, Devon County Council?s director of Education, said: ?Chris has done an absolutely superb job since he took over as principal at Okehampton College and I am delighted he has agreed to do this. ?I also want to thank the governors of Okehampton College for allowing Chris to do this on a short term basis.? Alex Wood, Tavistock College?s chairman of governors, said the governing body was ?delighted? that Mr Powell had agreed to come to the school. ?He was the first person we asked and there was absolutely no hesitation at all. We are very pleased that he was able to come here so quickly. ?With Ofsted coming up, we didn?t want any sag in morale or confidence. We have just had our best results ever and we want to keep going on a high, getting better and better.? Tavistock College last week took out a half-page advertisement in the national Times Educational Supplement for a new principal. The advertisement said the new head should be a leader, collaborative, inspirational, passionate, successful and a visionary. Mr Wood said governors were hoping the advertisement would attract a good field of candidates and that they would be able to appoint the type of ?truly outstanding? person that Tavistock College deserved.
