Ixworth Free School welcomes visit from local MP and Minister Matt Hancock

It was an exciting start of term at Ixworth Free School as Matt Hancock, Member of Parliament for West Suffolk and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, visited students on Friday 7 September. Mr Hancock enjoyed a tour of the school before meeting students and holding a Q&A session with Year 10 and 11 students, who quizzed the Minister on topics including Artificial Intelligence and Brexit.

In January 2018, figures released by the Department for Education showed Ixworth Free School, which opened in 2014, is one of the top performing schools in Suffolk for student progress, and in the top 10% of schools nationally.

Matt Hancock MP said: “I had a great visit to Ixworth Free School and it was fantastic to see the school doing so well under the leadership of Headteacher Mark Barrow. Ixworth Free School’s results have been impressive and to be in the top 10% of schools nationally for student progress, is testament to the hard work and dedication of both the staff and the pupils. I thoroughly enjoyed my tour of the school and especially liked meeting the Years 10 and 11 pupils. We had an excellent Q&A session – they kept me on my toes.”

Mark Barrow, Headteacher at Ixworth Free School, said: “Thank you to Matt Hancock for taking the time to visit our school; students enjoyed meeting their local MP and learning more about his roles in government. It was also a fantastic opportunity to share the School’s successes and positive outcomes, including this year’s GCSE results, all of which have been achieved since Mr Hancock’s last visit in 2015.”