THE largest secondary school in the county, Winterbourne Academy, has appointed a permanent headteacher from September 2018.

Jason Beardmore will take over the reins from interim principle Peter Smart, who was seconded from The Castle School in Thornbury.

Mr Beardmore joins the school from his most recent post as head at Teignmouth Community School in Devon.

Mr Beardmore led Teignmouth School between September 2016 and March 2018, having left the school only a matter of weeks before it received a routine Ofsted inspection re-confirming its previous judgement of ‘good’ in all areas.

His previous role as head at Stanchester Academy saw him take the school from a ‘requires improvement’ rating to that of ‘good’ in all areas in under two years.

Mr Beardmore said: “When I left Teignmouth earlier this year, I was seeking a new challenge where I could work collaboratively within an organisation that I shared common values with, an organisation with a vision that I believed in and where I felt that ways of working aligned with my approach to leadership.

"It became clear during the recruitment process that Winterbourne, in partnership with Olympus, was a best-fit and I’m genuinely delighted to get started.

"The potential to bring Winterbourne Academy back to its rightful place as one of South Gloucestershire’s most successful secondary schools is ripe for us to achieve.

"I’ve been impressed by the quality of the teaching professionals I’ve observed thus far, and have enjoyed meeting various members of what is an engaged and proactive school community.

"It is clear to me that we have within our grasp all the aspects required to move forward positively. ”

Unusually, the school will benefit from Mr Beardmore’s time for two days a week in the summer term, alongside the interim principle Mr Smart.

The move is designed to ensure a smooth transition and a boost leadership capacity as the school consults on changes to the school day and uniform for the next academic year.

The Financial Notice to Improve, imposed by the Department for Education during 2017, was lifted at the point of Winterbourne’s transfer to Olympus in February this year.

Chief executive officer, Dave Baker said: “Under Mr Beardmore’s leadership, Teignmouth Community School enjoyed Key Stage 5 results significantly above the national average in 2017.

"Key Stage 4 progress measures for 2017 were also in line with national averages and close to that of one of the most successful secondary schools in our local area, Bradley Stoke Community School.

"We’re delighted to have Jason on board.”