New Principal takes the helm

A new Principal has been appointed at Vale of York Academy.

Mr Toby Eastaugh, who has previously lead schools in Kirklees and Barnsley, took up the role of Principal on 1 January 2019.

Mr Eastaugh, 54, is now in his fourteenth year as a serving headteacher and has held senior leadership roles across schools both in London and the Yorkshire and Humber region for over twenty years. He lives in Harrogate with his wife, who is also a teacher, and two teenage daughters.

Mr Eastaugh said “I am delighted to be Principal at Vale of York Academy and am looking forward to working with staff, governors, families, colleagues across the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust and most importantly, the students themselves. I want to ensure we provide our young people with the best possible experience during their time with us. As a father of two teenage girls, I know how much faith parents put in a school when they entrust us with the education and care of their children. 

“Although I have only been in post at Vale of York for just over a week, I can clearly see the improvements which have been made thus far and also the huge potential of our children. Vale of York Academy is blessed with a student body that is well-behaved and ready to learn and a staff committed to doing the best they can for the students.

“I’m excited about the future and keen to continue on the rapid journey of improvement that the academy has been on over the last few years. In the few days since I have been here, we have learned that we have been awarded the national Quality in Careers Standard for our work in careers and aspiration-raising, eight of our students have a winning entry in this year’s York Schools Poetry Competition and I have seen the start of a great mentoring programme delivered by York St John University students for our young people. I’m also looking forward to seeing our students receive their Duke of Edinburgh Awards at a forthcoming ceremony. I’m already proud of how much the school does to help our students fulfil their potential both inside and outside the classroom.”

Brian Crosby, Chief Executive Officer of the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust said “We welcome Toby in to the Hope family and are really looking forward to working with him. He has a huge passion for and commitment to working with schools who are on an improvement journey and has a huge amount of experience and knowledge to share. I am looking forward to seeing Vale of York Academy go from strength to strength.”

Mr Eastaugh succeeds Mrs Helen Dowds as Principal. Mrs Dowds remains within the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust as Executive Lead for Scarborough. 

Vale of York Academy is part of the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust, a growing multi-academy trust for both primary and secondary schools. A Church of England trust established to bring together church and community schools, Hope now has seven partner schools: Vale of York Academy, Manor Church of England Academy, Barlby High School, Poppleton Ousebank Primary, Burton Green Primary, Forest of Galtres Anglican Methodist Primary and Baldersby St James Church of England Primary. The Trust is also currently supporting two secondary schools in Scarborough, George Pindar and Graham School.

15 January 2019