Giant cranes have rolled on to the Hengrove site and the concrete pillars of the new building are visible above the hoardings.

It's an exciting time for Rebecca Clark and her 122 staff and 590 students as their new school begins to become a reality.

But it won't be open for another year, so for now Miss Clark is firmly focused on the present.

"I want to ensure that Oasis Academy is a place where all students can succeed in achieving their personal best," she says.

With her cropped hair, high heels and sharp suits, Miss Clark bears no resemblance to a stereotypical headmistress, but she is determined to be a positive role model.

And she is steadfast in her mission to give every student the best possible start in life.

"Every moment counts. Every lesson counts. Every conversation counts," she believes.

"Every young person, whatever their background, has potential. The challenge is to identify it, nurture it and help it to grow."

The academy, sponsored by the Christian charity Oasis, opened last September in the buildings of the former Hengrove Community Arts College.

Miss Clark, 31, was deputy principal and a strong support to the principal John Williams as he established expectations at the south Bristol school.

The school was making good progress when it was rocked by tragedy. Mr Williams had a heart attack while on a snowboarding holiday to mark his 40th birthday at the beginning of the year and died a few weeks later.

Miss Clark took temporary charge and did such a good job helping staff and students through that difficult time that Oasis founder the Rev Steve Chalke and his organisation had no hesitation in offering her the permanent post in spite of her relative youth.

Nor did Miss Clark have any doubts about accepting.

"There was never any question in my mind. I believe you should always be open to new opportunities."

She has received strong backing from her staff, students, parents and members of the local community, as well as from other local head teachers, the local authority, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and the wider Oasis movement, which now embraces nine academies including the Hengrove one and Oasis Brightstowe in Shirehampton.

Miss Clark does not deny that her new role is a challenging one – but she also finds it immensely rewarding, and says: "I have always wanted to be a teacher. My great grandparents and my grandfather were teachers and my mum is a teacher. It is a vocation for me."

After university in Birmingham and teacher training in Exeter, Miss Clark became a PE teacher in Worcestershire, then in her home area of Cornwall before becoming assistant principal at a secondary in Exeter.

That school was rebuilt under the Private Finance Initiative, an experience that should stand the new principal in good stead as she oversees the development of the long-awaited £20-million new academy buildings in Hengrove, which are to be named after Mr Williams.

It is due to have a multi-purpose theatre, arts studio, dance studios, music recording studio, fitness suite, internet café and amphitheatre – all of which will be available for community use.

Miss Clark, who in her time off enjoys running, golf and skiing, says a mixture of factors drew her to Oasis Academy.

"It was the challenge of working in a community which deserved an outstanding school, as well as the ethos of the Oasis movement, which is a global organisation committed to transforming individual lives."

She acknowledges some of the difficulties – and successes – of the predecessor school but she says: "One of the benefits of being new to the area is that you are not coloured by the past.

"You have to understand the issues and the history, but our job is to look forward."

Perhaps it is the optimism of youth, but Miss Clark says the she finds the challenges of headship energising.

"The greater the challenge, the greater the reward."

This is no idle platitude: this new principal is determined to stay grounded and in touch with the needs of her charges.

"Seeing the difference you make to these young people, watching them grow and progress, is really fantastic."

The shared experience of tragedy has had a positive effect on the academy, she believes.

"John's legacy is our legacy. It's our future. Our young people have been through an awful lot, and we must not underestimate that, but they are resilient. We have learned a lot from them.

"We are all committed to the work that has begun. One of our strengths is our hugely dedicated staff . We also have really strong parental support, which is growing and shows the confidence the community is beginning to have in the academy."