Troubleshooters to help Anglesey school after head teacher quits

Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern on Anglesey has 680 pupils and opened in 1977

Troubleshooters will be sent in to help run a high school after its head teacher resigned.

Catrin Jones Hughes stepped down from Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern on Anglesey last week "following a period of illness", the school's governors said.

It comes amid a vote of no confidence in Ms Jones Hughes from teachers, concerns about a lack of full-time staff and fears over exam results.

The troubleshooting board aims to "help achieve sustained improvement".

The new strategy improvement board - including government officials, school inspectors and council officers - will work with staff and governors for at least a year to improve its performance.

'Driving standards forward'

Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern has been coded "red" in the Welsh Government's annual school rating system, the category of school needing the highest level of outside support.

As a temporary measure, former Bodedern teacher Emyr Williams will run the school in conjunction with his duties as head of Ysgol David Hughes before a permanent head teacher is found.

"As new strategic head teacher, I will ensure that the school's pupils, especially those sitting their GCSEs and A-Levels this summer, are our main priority," he said.

"I am, of course, keenly aware of the concerns of both pupils and parents. Working with the board, we will provide the support needed for Ysgol Uwchradd Bodedern to turn a corner and make tangible progress in driving standards forward."

Anglesey council said the board would provide the "experience and expertise needed to help achieve sustained improvement".

It will be answerable to the Welsh Government with progress reviewed after each term.

The latest move comes just days after the Daily Post's North Wales Live website was contacted by a pupil who feared she would fail her GCSEs due to a lack of full-time teachers at the school.

The school, which has 680 pupils, opened in 1977 with Welsh being the natural medium of instruction, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.