Headteacher of crisis-hit Blue Coat School resigns

The headteacher of one of Liverpool's most successful schools has quit amid ongoing unrest and investigations.

Scilla Yates, who leads The Blue Coat School in Wavertree, has left the school with immediate effect. She had previously announced plans to step back from her role while moving towards retirement next year. But she has brought those plans forward and left the prestigious school immediately.

The news comes after a turbulent period for Ms Yates and the school. In February it was confirmed that the Teacher Regulation Agency would be carrying out a formal investigation into Ms Yates' conduct.

MORE: Police called as union meeting at Blue Coat School ends in chaos

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The school is also facing a potential five days of strike action from nearly 70 staff who have raised multiple concerns about the management and day-to-day issues at the grammar school. The first walk-out is scheduled for May 14, with a further five days of action planned in May and June.

In March, dealings between school leaders and union officials turned ugly and police were contacted after talks turned chaotic, with both sides accused of aggression.

Today, the school's board of trustees said that Ms Yates had "made the difficult decision to bring forward her retirement plans with immediate effect."

In a statement, the trustees said: “There can be no denying that the last few months have been challenging for our school community and the individuals concerned. This has taken its toll, and Ms Yates doesn’t want her continued involvement at The Blue Coat School to distract from the school sustaining its excellent education and the wellbeing of the students.

“While we accept that there are some divisions in parts of our community at the moment, it would also be right to acknowledge that our school has achieved some outstanding results, won awards, and our strengths have been recognised by the likes of Ofsted and other external bodies. While this is down to the whole school community, Ms Yates’ leadership has been a key part of this.

“On behalf of our community, we would like to wish her the very best for her well-deserved retirement."

The statement added: “What we must now focus on is the next steps for our school. We want to ensure stability for students, particularly with the exam season approaching, and that we have the leadership capacity to help us to continue to navigate through all that we are currently managing."

The trustees added that because of the way deadlines work for headteachers' resignations, it is now likely to be 2025 before a new permanent head will be able to take up the position at The Blue Coat.

In light of this, the Trustees said they will start exploring interim external leadership options for the school. They added: "In the meantime, all of our colleagues, led by our executive team, will continue to ensure that the school runs as smoothly as possible.”

News of Ms Yates' departure comes after a chaotic few years for the prestigious school.

Last year the ECHO revealed that former assistant headteacher at the school Nick Barends had been sacked following an investigation into his conduct. The sacking came 13 years after Mr Barends was dismissed over an allegedly inappropriate relationship with a student - before he was reinstated by a panel of governors and continued teaching at the school.

Earlier in 2023 we revealed that Mr Barends had been suspended by the school over a 'historic' allegation from over a decade ago that was separate from the one he was previously suspended for. The school carried out its own investigation and confirmed in July that Mr Barends' employment had been terminated. A separate investigation is being carried out by the Teacher Regulation Agency.

This was followed by news of the TRA investigation into Ms Yates earlier this year.

The Blue Coat is one of the city's most successful and prestigious schools. In 2023 it was named Sunday Times North West Secondary School of the Year.

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