![\"Headteacher](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_TCBR190625MerchantsBRI.jpg\")
Headteacher at Merchants Academy, Guy Swallow, conducts a meeting with pupils(Image: Merchants Academy)<\/p>\nHow a new broom has transformed Merchants AcademyHeadteacher at Merchants Academy, Guy Swallow, conducts a meeting with pupils(Image: Merchants Academy)<\/p>\n
The headteacher of what was almost certainly the worst school in Bristol just over a year ago has outlined how the school is now on its way to achieving a remarkable turnaround.<\/p>\n
Guy Swallow said Merchants Academy was a \u2018completely transformed\u2019 school since he took over back in March 2024.<\/p>\n
The number of children permanently excluded has been cut from 23 last year to zero this year, while the number of suspensions has dropped 42 per cent, and attendance has jumped from one of the worst in the city to around average.<\/p>\n
Mr Swallow told Bristol Live the school still has a long way to go, and there is still much to do, but he said he is confident the South Bristol school has now turned a corner.<\/p>\n
The headteacher took over in March last year<\/a>, having been the headteacher of a school in Somerset for four years. It was a return to the large Withywood school, as it was where he undertook his first placement as a trainee teacher, soon after the former Withywood Comprehensive was taken over by the Society of Merchant Venturers, demolished and a new school building reopened as Merchants Academy back in 2008.<\/p>\n The Ofsted inspection<\/strong><\/p>\n Nine school days after he took over in the head\u2019s office, Ofsted inspectors arrived. \u201cWe had a phone call at 11am on the Monday and they were in the car park at 7.30am on the Tuesday,\u201d remembered Mr Swallow.<\/p>\n The report, when it was published a few weeks later, was one of the most damning verdicts on a school in Bristol ever<\/a>. The school was failing its pupils academically, but even worse, pupils and teachers painted a picture to the Ofsted inspectors of a school that was essentially out of control, with violent incidents commonplace, and many children – and teachers – feeling unsafe.<\/p>\n \u201cI worked here 14 years ago just after the school reopened so I knew the school, the area and the challenges we all have here,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d had two months before I actually started, getting to know the staff, the pupils and the parents, and the community too, so I knew a bit of what the challenges were, but the Ofsted inspection was a difficult experience.<\/p>\n \u201cIt showed just how bad things had got. But it was almost a cathartic period, because I was able to get a handle on what the issues were, how serious they were and we were all able to collectively say that we\u2019ve reached our lowest point, and this is the point we got to where things are going to start to improve,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Damning Ofsted for Bristol school where pupils fear ‘fights and assaults’<\/a>READ MORE: Generation of South Bristol kids ‘let down’ by Merchant Venturers and Bristol University<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIn retrospect, having Ofsted inspectors go through the school and pinpoint the issues was helpful for me as a newly-arrived headteacher, but at the time it was very difficult,\u201d he added. Within just a couple of weeks, things started to change.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have introduced a huge number of different strategies, and put them in place. There\u2019s a thousand smaller strategies but probably the most important thing is that we\u2019ve focused on building relationships,\u201d Mr Swallow said. \u201cA year ago, students would not have talked to the teachers about what was going on. It was clear from the Ofsted that they felt wronged, they weren\u2019t going to a good school, and we wanted to rebuild these relationships.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was important to do with parents too – we have had 20 to 25 meetings with parents to talk about how we can all work together to improve things,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n A ‘calm environment’<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIn school itself, one of the first things we did was to put systems and processes in place around the school buildings. We introduced a one-way system which now means we can move 800 pupils between lessons in three to three and a half minutes. Before, there were no bells, and things felt chaotic.<\/p>\n \u201cNow things felt calm and orderly, and just a lot more relaxed. The percentage of what we describe as serious incidents, when a child has become physical with another, happens far, far less. It\u2019s difficult to have specific numbers on that, because up until I arrived, these incidents weren\u2019t really properly recorded.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to say that Ofsted painted an accurate picture of the situation on this. It was one of the first things we tackled. We have a much more robust way of, first, recording these incidents, and they are dealt with far more quickly. We put in much more support for the victims of these incidents and also for the perpetrators, as well as far greater sanctions.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t overnight, but within a few weeks, you could feel a different atmosphere walking around. It was a lot calmer and felt less on edge. We have far greater awareness of what\u2019s going on. A year ago, there was no data on what was happening, but every time there was a break or lunch time, there was an incident, every time,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Within months, this calm had a knock-on effect. With fewer serious incidents, there was less need to impose penalties on children, and more reason for the children bearing the brunt of that before, to come into school.<\/p>\n In the previous school year, the number of pupils permanently excluded was 23, this school year it\u2019s zero. \u201cI\u2019m confident that there won\u2019t be any permanent exclusions in the rest of this year, and I can\u2019t find many students who you fear that could happen to next year either. We are now in the position where we\u2019re the joint lowest in the whole of Bristol for permanent exclusions, which is an amazing turnaround,\u201d said Mr Swallow.<\/p>\n \u201cThe number of pupils suspended, which is usually for a few days, has dropped by 42 per cent. It was very high last year, and has gone down a lot. The other thing is that we don\u2019t send suspended children home anymore. We stopped that. It\u2019s no good just sending children who have been suspended out onto the streets all day, it will make their situation worse. No one wants to see children roaming the streets because they\u2019ve been suspended. So if a child is suspended they still have to come into school and serve that suspension here,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n And attendance is up as well. When Ofsted came, one of the red flags for inspectors was the fact that attendance rates were just 68 per cent. This year that has improved a lot – now it\u2019s at around 82 or 83 per cent. \u201cIt\u2019s still something to improve,\u201d said Mr Swallow. \u201cAnother key stat is the number of children who are persistently absent, so those who really struggle with coming to school. It\u2019s dropped by a quarter this academic year, so for every four children who were classed as \u2018persistently absent\u2019, now only three are. It\u2019s still higher than we\u2019d want – we need to at least reach the Bristol average. We really want all children to be in school all the time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Another metric Mr Swallow shows the school\u2019s progress is the number of children who have left. \u201cI\u2019m really pleased that we\u2019ve not lost a single student to another school in the area,\u201d he said. \u201cIn recent years that was really high, where parents walk out of the gates and say \u2018I\u2019m done with Merchants Academy\u2019, and get their child admitted somewhere else.<\/p>\n \u201cThe children who have left in this past academic year have either been families moving away, or a small number who have chosen to educate their child at home. At the same time, we are seeing a growth in the number of parents who are applying in the school year for their child to come to Merchants. We have had 74 applications to join during this year, that\u2019s a ten percent increase in our roll. I\u2019ve got nine meetings with new parents this week, and I think that figure will pass 80 by the end of the term, and that\u2019s mainly parents opting to move their child out of the school they are at and to come to Merchants,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The new management<\/strong><\/p>\n The other huge change in the past year at Merchants Academy was in the school\u2019s leadership, above Mr Swallow. In September 2024, the school formally switched from being part of the now-defunct Venturers Trust, a multi-academy trust run by a partnership between the Society of Merchant Venturers and the University of Bristol<\/a>.<\/p>\n This organisation had been controversial for years<\/a>, and after the spring 2024 Ofsted report, local politicians said it had let down a generation of young people in South Bristol<\/a>. Failings at another major Venturers Trust school – the girls\u2019 school Montpelier High – had been a significant trigger for those in charge to look to transfer their schools, and the much bigger E-ACT Academy Trust chain took over in September last year.<\/p>\n In reality, however, E-ACT were heavily involved in what was effectively a transition year or more, and involved in recruiting Mr Swallow to the school back in late 2023. It has made a big difference, said the new head.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Bristol University ‘proud’ of work with controversial Merchant Venturers’ schools<\/a>READ MORE: Society of Merchant Venturers ‘not fit’ to run Bristol schools says former headteacher<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe leadership capacity with E-ACT is considerably bigger, they are one of the five largest multi-academy trusts in the country. There\u2019s greater support services around things like attendance, leadership, and they bring a real understanding around the context of Merchants Academy. They work almost entirely with schools in the same sort of challenging situations,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is important is that we don\u2019t want Merchants to be great for a year, E-ACT are here for the long term and have a long-term strategy to improve the school,\u201d said Mr Swallow. \u201cI was the fifth headteacher at Merchants in two years, but we want 20 years of being a solid and good school. E-ACT have brought that long term commitment, which we didn\u2019t have before, and they are committed to funding the school to achieve that, and bring expertise, but everyone knows there\u2019s still work to do,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are only going to achieve that by bringing the children, parents and carers and the local community along, and we recognise just how important it is that the school is at the heart of the community.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a huge site right in the middle of Hartcliffe<\/a> and Withywood and too often, it\u2019s empty with the gates closed after 5pm. We\u2019ve started really involving the community much more, and have begun to build up an adult education provision too.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also really important to us to be part of the solution when it comes to things like knife crime. We\u2019re working closely with other schools in South Bristol, developing PHSE resources. We recognise that challenge, and we want to see ourselves as part of the solution, that we can\u2019t just be responsible for the children\u2019s safety while they are on the school grounds between 8.30 and 3.30.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of knife crime, it\u2019s a challenge for the whole of South Bristol. We\u2019ve developed new strategies around the anonymous ways of reporting concerns children might have, and we are working with youth organisations and in the community. We\u2019ve just really tried to look outwards and not close our gates. I felt that a year ago because of the leadership, we\u2019d lost the community. They were sad and disappointed with the school that wasn\u2019t engaging with them. Now we\u2019ve got a strong community calendar and the feedback we\u2019ve had has been good,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Join Bristol Live\u2019s WhatsApp community for top stories and breaking news sent directly to your phone<\/strong><\/p>\n Bristol Live<\/a> is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community.<\/p>\n Through the app, we\u2019ll send the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone.<\/p>\n To join our community you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select \u2018Join Community\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Bristol Live<\/a> team.<\/p>\n We also treat community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you don\u2019t like our community, you can check out at any time you like.<\/p>\n To leave our community, click on the name at the top of your screen and choose \u2018Exit group\u2019.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_Merchants-Academy.jpg\")
Merchants’ Academy <\/p>\n![\"Headteacher](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0_TCBR190625MerchantsBRI_02.jpg\")
Headteacher at Merchants Academy, Guy Swallow(Image: Merchants Academy)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1_Merchants-Academy.jpg\")
Merchants’ Academy <\/p>\n![\"Guy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2_TCR_BRI220224GuySwallowBRI.jpg\")
Guy Swallow, the new headteacher at Merchants Academy in Withywood(Image: Merchants Academy)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0_WhatsApp-Phone.jpg\")
Bristol Live WhatsApp Breaking News and Top Stories<\/p>\n