Sawtry Community College converted to academy status in April 2015 and was renamed Sawtry Village Academy. The school is now part of the Meridian Trust (previously the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust).[1]
Management
The current principal is Simon Parsons.[2] In 2014, prior principal James Stewart left the school in summer 2014 after a critical Ofsted report, and was subsequently arrested over allegations of fraud.[3] In October 2017, Stewart was convicted of four counts of fraud and one of misconduct in a public office. Stewart used £85,000 of school funds to pay off personal debts, £6,000 of school funds to cover household bills, and aided and abetted vice-principal Alan Stevens to commit fraud.[4] During the trial, the court heard that Stewart would routinely lock himself in his office—which he refurbished at the expense of the school which cost thousands of pounds—where he had "a private phone line installed to place bets with bookmaker William Hill, and [would] watch horse racing on TV."[4] His office also contained sex toys, condoms, lubricants and alcohol.[4] Stewart was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment by Mr Justice Stuart Bridge at Huntingdon Law Courts.[4] In February 2019, Simon Parsons was appointed Head teacher of Sawtry Village Academy after the previous principal, Sarah Wilson, was appointed as CMAT Executive Principal.[5][6]
Tutoring System
The school made a decision to change to a Vertical Tutoring System in 2009, this system was originally split into 6 houses but for September 2015 these were reduced to 4 main school houses and 1 sixth form house, to reflect the falling intake of the school.[citation needed]
