DORCAN Academy will see a changing of the guard at the end of the academic year when Dr Scott Sissons passes the mantle to Sherryl Bareham after 13 years at the helm.

Dr Sissons, who spent a career in research before becoming a science teacher, first came to Dorcan in 1997 as deputy headteacher.

He successfully changed the ethos of the 900-strong school during his tenure, raising aspirations and expectations of its pupils and the professionalism of staff.

The 57-year-old father of two, who lives near Cirencester, plans to carry out consulting work with some local heads before deciding on his next move.

“It just felt like the right time to do something different,” he said. “When I first came to Dorcan, the school had a bit of a reputation for for being quite a rough school.

“Children saw school as a pathway to getting the dole, and that has managed to change – just to see the whole school improve and get better and to become the first choice for parents in the area.

“There’s now a real focus on aspiration and the children really do want to do the best that they can for themselves.”

Headteacher designate Mrs Bareham joined Dorcan after the Easter holiday. She will be the fifth principal at the school, which was founded in the 1970s.

The former vice-principal at Hathaway Academy in Grays, Essex – who now lives in Bishopstone – plans to make Dorcan the preferred Swindon school.

Despite toughening Ofsted frameworks, Mrs Bareham is determined to drag Dorcan from its current rating of requiring improvement to outstanding.

“During the past 15 years some of the schools I have worked in have been in special measures and require improvement,” she said. “It’s not just about being graded as outstanding but making that grade last.

“My vision is to make that attainment while maintaining and instilling my principles of honesty, integrity and just being decent to one another.”

While Mrs Bareham has no plans to change the school uniform ahead of the start of the September term, her vision includes smarter school-wear to help raise children’s pride in their school.

She said: “I don’t want our students to feel like they’re second class citizens against any other school. One of the first things will be to look at staffing and how we can bring in the skills and expertise we need to give the very best to our students.”