School's new headteacher adopts tough stance on uniforms and behaviour

Peter Lynch took over at Sheldon School in Chippenham at the start of this school year, replacing Neil Spurdell who retired this summer after over 30 years in education.

Mr Lynch, who joins Sheldon from Bradley Stoke School on the outskirts of Bristol, has quickly made changes to ensure rules over school uniform are being “consistently” applied.

He said: “We’ve made some changes and tweaks, and raised expectations regarding uniform and behaviour but those are small tweaks and have been responded to really well by the students.

“It’s just about application, we’ve got a really stringent uniform policy and students need to wear it with pride, we just have to remind them of that and be a bit more consistent.

“Nothing has really changed in education for the last 30 years, teenagers tend to roll their skirts up and we need to remind them not to so they can take part in their practical lessons.”

Peter Lynch (Image: Sheldon School)The areas of uniform policy which are being enforced include shirts being tucked in, skirts not being rolled up, and ties being worn and done up properly.

Mr Lynch believes the measures have been well received and will stop inconsistencies over uniform policy becoming an issue.

He is also focused on a range of other initiatives, including ensuring disruption from bad behaviour is kept to a minimum and supporting vulnerable students.

Mr Lynch added: “We want to ensure the level of disruption is a minimum because we’re in a national teacher shortage and we want to ensure they can teach.

“I’m really passionate about vulnerable groups and ensuring they have a voice and achieve so making sure they get a good deal is a focus for me as well.”

New initiatives to improve teaching outcomes are also being implemented.

File photo of Sheldon School Mr Lynch says he has settled into his new role quickly since his first day at Sheldon School on September 4, and has been impressed by both staff and students.

He added: “It’s been a really positive start and I’m very lucky to be the head of a fantastic school with a fantastic reputation.

“I’ve been really impressed with the parents, the community, the staff and the students so far, so it’s all gone really well.

“It was the relationship between the students and staff, that caring, family feel, that really sold the school to me.”

The school is currently preparing for a visit from Ofsted around Christmas time.