Rufford's New Headteacher

Dear Students, Parents, Carers & Community

I am extremely excited to announce the appointment of Mrs Erica Tilley as the new Headteacher of Rufford Primary School & Nursery. Erica will be joining us in September 2022 from her current role as Head of School at Delves Primary School. She impressed us all during the recruitment process standing out in a very strong field, her vision for Rufford’s future and passion for driving school improvement was obvious and we have no doubt that the whole school community will thrive under her leadership.

I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to Mrs Ditchfield and Mrs Stanton for their support in leading the school throughout the summer term. They have done a fantastic job, implementing some very positive changes for the benefit of our students with the help of the whole school team.

I say with confidence that Mrs Tilley will find a fantastic team of people ready to support her when she join us, full time, from September

Mrs Tilley has the following message for you:

“I am thrilled to have been appointed as Headteacher at Rufford Primary and Nursery School. Rufford is a school with so much potential and I can’t wait to get to know all of the children, families and staff. I believe that the children must be at the heart of everything we do; this is why I am certain that working with the Invictus Trust will support the team at Rufford to fulfil this potential.

As a school leader, my aim is to ensure the very best education for every child, without exception. I believe that building positive relationships with you as parents and carers is crucial to ensuring our children succeed. I am currently a Head of School in Walsall; we recently achieved an OFSTED ‘Good’ judgement with two ‘Outstanding’ areas, having previously been ‘Requires Improvement’. I know that my experience of leading that school through the change necessary will support me to bring about improvements at Rufford.

I have met with staff already and aim to be in school for two days each week before officially starting in September. I will be working closely with Mrs Ditchfield to ensure there is a smooth transition and I know she will help me to settle in. I am looking forward to getting started and to getting to know all of you as we work together to build the excellent school our children and community deserve.”

We look forward to working with Erica and welcoming her into the Invictus family and Rufford community.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr Tony Bowles

Chief Executive Officer

Invictus Education Trust