The deputy headteacher of a Merseyside school who has been absent from her role for over two years has officially left. Anna Kenny, the deputy headteacher of St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy in Whiston, has had her name removed from the school's website ahead of the new term.
Absence and resignation
Ms Kenny's sudden absence was first reported in May 2024, around the same time that the school's then headteacher, Lee Peachey, also stopped coming into work. Mr Peachey's unexplained departure came shortly after he had been credited with turning the school's fortunes around, leading it out of an inadequate Ofsted rating for the first time since 2015.
After the school's two most senior staff stopped attending, parents raised concerns and received a letter from the Pope Francis Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs the school, explaining that Mr Peachey would be taking time away from his role and that Clare McKenna, at the time a deputy head at a different school, would be brought in to lead the school.
The mystery surrounding the extended absence of Mr Peachey and Ms Kenny continued until December of last year, when the school confirmed that Mr Peachey had officially resigned from his role as headteacher. For the remainder of the academic year, Ms Kenny remained listed on the school's website as deputy headteacher, with Ms McKenna as headteacher.
Confirmation of departure
Ahead of the new term starting, Ms Kenny's name has been removed altogether. Asked for an explanation from the school trust, a spokesperson said: "Anna Kenny left St Edmund Arrowsmith at the end of the Summer term 2026 to pursue other opportunities. We thank Anna for her service and wish her well in the future."
Changes under new leadership
After replacing Mr Peachey as the head of St Edmund Arrowsmith, Ms McKenna has certainly made her own mark. Last summer the ECHO reported that a new drive on discipline and standards had led to more than two hundred pupils being suspended in a period of around three weeks.
The school said the new behaviour policy was put in place to 'raise the bar' of what is expected at St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy. The school worked with the Education Exchange - a network of schools, local authorities and education providers that offers guidance to schools - on its new disciplinary policies.
Six months after that policy came in, the ECHO reported that school data was showing how the strong approach to behaviour and discipline was working for both pupils and staff. Speaking at the time, trust chair Mr Dawson said: "In 2024 the school came out of special measures for the first time in a decade – but there were some stubborn, residual behavioural issues that were becoming a barrier to further improvement."
"Since implementing the new behaviour policy, there is real evidence that those barriers are being eroded away."
