Mrs Ratcliffe has a wealth of teaching experience and headteacher roles since her first headship in September 2004. These have included alternative provision, mainstream, local authority and church schools. She was an executive headteacher in Clacton for a few years before returning to being a headteacher where she explained ‘she missed being an integral part of the community and getting to know the children and families.’
Mrs Ratcliffe lived and trained in Sheffield and moved to Suffolk in 2004 for her first headship. She trained at the University of Cambridge to take two PGCEEs and a PG Dip in educational research. She also has the SENDCo award, which she gained, through the University of Cambridge.
On her new appointment she said: “I am incredibly proud to be the Headteacher of The Bishop’s Church of England Primary Academy. The staff team are one big family. Their dedication to giving the children the best education is an inspiration. I look forward to working with them to grow our links with the community. To provide even better learning opportunities to ensure the children have the best life chances and happy and successful futures.”
Oliver Burwood, CEO of Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (DNEAT) said: “We are delighted to welcome Mrs Ratcliffe to The Bishop’s. She is a hugely experienced and talented headteacher with exactly the skills and knowledge needed to lead The Bishops on to further improvement. DNEAT has a very strong focus on The Bishop’s Academy and its success is important to everybody at The Trust. We look forward to working with Lorraine and the whole team at the academy, so we can provide the very best education for the children that it serves, driven by our shared Christian values.”
Mrs Ratcliffe takes over the role from Interim Headteacher, Chris Read, who returns to DNEAT’s central leadership team, and she will continue to build upon his good work.