‘Thisisthelastchanceto turnthingsaround’

Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson said he welcomed ‘a fresh pair of eyes’ at the Voyager - but said he did not think Thomas Deacon Academy was the right group to take it on. Mr Jackson said the take over was ‘the last chance’ for the school. He said: “Whilst I welcome a fresh pair of eyes and a new approach to tackle Voyager’s problems and in fairness, I accept that under Scott Hudson’s leadership, things are slowly improving, I’m still pretty sceptical that TDA should be absorbing Voyager into its own Trust. “TDA itself has major challenges with attainment levels and I would have preferred and (have) told Ministers that a “clean break” for Voyager with another academy chain would be my choice, but I will support Mrs Taylor’s efforts - this really is the last chance for Voyager to turn things around, which of course we all want to see.” Mrs Taylor said: “Thomas Deacon Academy has been on a journey of transformation and improvement itself. “As a Trust, we believe that we are well-placed to use our experience across both primary and secondary education to support other schools in Peterborough in their ambitions to improve outcomes for pupils. “This will be achieved through working closely with neighbouring schools to maximise the opportunities for all pupils, all of which will be underpinned by a clear set of shared values – trust, discipline and aspiration.” Councillor John Holdich, leader of the council and cabinet member for education, skills and university, said he welcomed the news of the takeover. He said: “Thomas Deacon Academy Education Trust has already proven to have made significant progress at The Voyager Academy since a partnership was first formed in Summer 2016. “The school is on the right path to reach the stage of being rated ‘good’ by Ofsted and I look forward to continued improvement under this new leadership.”