New heads line up for city's primary schools

About a quarter of Bristol's primary schools will start the next academic year in September with a new head teacher.

The city council has announced that 30 new leaders have been appointed for early years, infant, junior and primary schools.

Officials say the success is thanks to a high-profile recruitment drive.

This was launched when it was realised that the city was facing an unprecedented number of head teacher retirements this year and next.

The authority put together a co-ordinated advertising campaign seeking "imaginative and inspirational" head teachers.

This was combined with close work with governing bodies, a new brochure about leadership in Bristol and assessment centres for prospective candidates.

Twenty one of the recruits are already heads or deputies at Bristol schools and the rest come from outside the city.

The initial round of vacancies was about 20, but other posts became vacant as a result of moves, such as Hotwells head Jenny Taylor's appointment to Horfield and Bank Leaze's Kate Rowlands to Blaise.

Other heads, including Susan Eriksson, from Millpond, Michael Keeling from Connaught, and Alan Rees, from Westbury Park, have got new jobs outside the city.

Connaught and Ilminster Avenue have had heads appointed for a year only as they are due to be replaced by a new Knowle West primary next year.

Holymead Junior has an advisory head for a year while Victoria Park Primary, which is being formed by a merger of the community infant and junior schools, will have Bridge Farm head Geoff Mason at the helm for a year while it continues to seek a permanent leader.

The city council is delighted to have filled the vacancies at a time when many head teachers across the country are reaching retirement age.

Heads are appointed by governing bodies, with support from the local authority. The posts were advertised at salaries between £47,000 and £63,000, depending on the size of the school.

Cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Clare Campion-Smith, said: "I'm delighted all our primary schools will start the new academic year with a head teacher in post. There has also been a co-ordinated recruitment drive and the new head teachers are a good mix of home-grown talent and people who are choosing to come and work for our schools. Bristol is a lovely city and is proving to be an attractive place to build a dynamic career in education."

Norma Watson, of Hillcrest Primary in Totterdown, who is retiring after 17 years' service, said: "The governors of Hillcrest are delighted to have been able to appoint exactly the right person to the post. They were determined to find the individual match for Hillcrest and were brave enough to wait for three rounds of advertising to find my successor."

Rachael Thomas became the head teacher at Filton Avenue Junior School last year and took part in the induction programme. She said: "The new head teacher induction programme provided really good focused support for me as a new head. It has drawn on the expertise and experience of other heads in the city.

"The programme provided a forum for new heads to share practical strategies and develop further confidence and skill within the role of head teacher.

"I certainly found the programme very valuable and supportive to me in my first year."