Local MP Mark Francois recently spent a Friday afternoon paying a visit to Mr Ken Newcombe, the new Head Teacher at Fitzwimarc School in Rayleigh. Mark met with Mr Newcombe, the Chairman of Governors, Mr Tony Ellis and members of staff from the school’s Senior Leadership Team.
During their discussions, Mark covered a variety of issues with Mr Newcombe and his colleagues, including the funding of FitzWimarc School and the school’s maintenance programme; pupil numbers (with the school continuing to be oversubscribed in certain year groups); the relative merits of a potential application by the school for academy status, and also the school’s ongoing ambition to create a sixth form, if possible, during the next several years.
Following these talks, Mark was then taken on a tour of the school and its facilities by Mr Newcombe and Mr Ellis, where he was shown such new facilities as the school’s modern dance and drama studio, and its new ICT suite. Mark also witnessed a number of lessons in progress, as well as sporting activities on the school’s sports fields (which were reflective of FitzWimarc’s particularly strong record of sporting achievement).
Commenting on his recent visit to FitzWimarc School, Rayleigh MP Mark Francois said:
“I was very pleased to have an opportunity to visit FitzWimarc School and to meet with the new Head Teacher Mr Newcombe. His predecessor, Jim Fuller was a great character and was very known in and around Rayleigh, and Mr Newcombe clearly has a tough act to follow. Nevertheless he appears to be making a very positive start and it was good to have an opportunity to talk through some issues affecting the school with him and his senior members of staff. I have visited FitzWimarc numerous times since I have been the local Member of Parliament and it is clearly a very good school. I look forward to remaining in touch with Mr Newcombe and all of his colleagues at FitzWimarc in the future”.