New headteacher appointed at St Philip Howard Catholic Voluntary Academy

A new headteacher has been appointed at St Philip Howard Catholic Voluntary Academy in Glossop.

Mike Kays has been acting headteacher since the departure of Louisa Morris in September 2023, and has now been appointed to the post of headteacher permanently.

Mr Kays has a long history with St Philip Howard, having joined the school in 2003 as a PE teacher. 

Since then he has held various roles including schools sport co-ordinator, working across Glossop primary schools, along with various department and pastoral roles. These include head of year, acting head of PE, assistant headteacher, deputy headteacher, two spells as acting headteacher and head of school.

Mr Kays said he was thrilled to secure the role of headteacher at St Philip Howard, which is part of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust.

“Our pupils and families are fantastic and they are so supportive of our school. We’ve got a lot to look forward to at St Philip Howard, especially as we are part of the government’s school rebuilding programme and we are all excited to see what that brings,” he said.

Maintaining strong links with the local community and ensuring that all pupils thrive are two of Mr Kays’ key aims.

He said: “I want to ensure that all pupils have access to the same opportunities I had growing up, in terms of developing them as the whole child and ensuring that they have the skills and knowledge to succeed once they leave SPH. 

“Being headteacher allows me to work with my team to impact each pupil across the whole school and not just in one subject.

“We pride ourselves on our motto of TEAMSPH which is about being together on the journey. We want to build a strong sense of togetherness between teacher, pupil, parent and the community, to ensure everyone in our community reaches their potential.”

Mr Kays said it was a pleasure to work at St Philip Howard which he described as "one big family". He said: “It is a pleasure to work with such outstanding pupils, they really make the school. We ask the pupils to be the best versions of themselves and this is what they do each and every day. We are one big family where the whole school community knows and supports each other. We also have a fantastic team of staff who go above and beyond every day to ensure that every child has the best opportunities.” 

There has been a continuous journey of improvement at St Philip Howard over the past eight years, Mr Kays said, and he is looking forward to taking the school from strength to strength. 

He said: “There has been a collective drive by the whole school community to ensure that the pupils and the local community have a school that they deserve and we are continuing that work to drive improvements for future generations.”

Mr Kays cited the school’s relationship with the local community as being vital, adding: “We sit in the heart of the Glossop community and are proud to be part of it. We are creating future employees for local businesses and we all need to work together effectively to ensure that the fantastic community we have in Glossop continues to flourish and thrive.”