Suspended headteacher thanked as he leaves Wolverhampton secondary school
A headteacher has left a Wolverhampton secondary school after being suspended almost a year ago.
David Lewis had been away from St Peter's Collegiate School in Compton since February as an investigation was carried out.
School leaders have now confirmed Mr Lewis, who joined in 2016, has left the school to "pursue other opportunities".
The reason for his suspension has never been explained, much like that of former school chaplain The Reverend David Weller, who had his contract terminated in February following a complaint.
The Diocese of Lichfield, which runs the school, said it would not be commenting on the suspension.
David Cooke, who has served as acting principal during Mr Lewis' suspension, will continue in the role until the end of the school year.
The head's departure made up just a paragraph in a letter to parents which then went on to discuss other school matters.
No mention was made of the fact he had been suspended for the previous 10 months.
'We wish him well'
Denise Dalton, chair of governors at St Peter’s, said: “The governors of St Peter’s Collegiate School announced that Mr David Lewis who was appointed as principal in September 2016 has now left the trust to pursue other opportunities.
"The students, staff and governors thank Mr Lewis for the good work he has done for St Peter’s and wish him well in his retirement from the school.
“Acting principal Mr David Cooke will continue in his position as the substantive principal until the end of the academic year.
"St Peter’s has had another successful year. We would like to thank the young people and staff at St Peter’s for their hard work and dedication.
"With the continued support from the Diocese of Lichfield we are sure the school will continue to excel.”
The Express & Star revealed earlier this year that teachers at Mr Lewis' last school in Yorkshire took strike action over "leadership and management issues".
Teachers sparked a crisis when they voted to walk out in October 2015, a move union bosses said revolved "around issues with leadership and management at the school", where staff had been "subjected to unacceptable behaviour".
Councillor Wendy Thompson, opposition leader in the city, said: "I certainly think it's important that when an appointment is made to a large secondary school that a proper investigation takes place to ensure that there is every confidence the person appointed will do a good job without any issues."
The Church of England Academy has been based in the city since the mid-19th century and was rated 'good' by Ofsted at its last inspection in September 2017.
