Gilly in charge at Grange
Reporter: Karen Doherty
Date published: 09 September 2008
AMBITION realised . . . acting head teacher Gilly McMullen
FORMER home economics teacher Gilly McMullen is the new acting head teacher at Grange School.
The 44-year-old has taken over from Graeme Hollinshead, who has retired after 37 years at the school, four as head teacher.
Mrs McMullen, who is married with a four-year-old son, joined Tong Upper School, Bradford, as a newly qualified teacher in 1987.
She taught home economics, now food technology, and came to Grange as second in department for food and textiles in January, 1995.
Appointed assistant head teacher in 2000, she will steer the school through a transition period which will see it replaced by an academy under £230 million plans to overhaul Oldham’s high schools.
Mrs McMullen’s husband, Graham, is a head of year at Grange and teaches PE and maths.
She described herself as ambitious and said that she had always wanted to be a head teacher.
However, she will continue to teach health and social care for two hours a week and explained: “As a head teacher I think it’s important that you keep your feet on the ground and you need to know what is going on in the classroom.”
This year the percentage of Grange pupils gaining five A* to C GCSEs (excluding English and maths) rose from 68 per cent to 71 per cent.
The figures including English and maths are up from 20 per cent to 26 per cent.
“We have made a considerable improvement but we are still aware we need to make further progress in English and maths,” said Mr McMullen.
“That is why our school priority is really geared to improving English and maths at both key stages.”
Grange is due to open as an academy run by a sponsor on its existing Rochdale Road site in 2010, with a principal-designate appointed in 2009, before moving into a new building in Royton in 2012.
Mrs McMullen admitted that the change would be daunting for some staff and exciting for others, adding: “For students they will have the best possible education that we can offer in terms of subject areas, courses, facilities and resources.”
