NEWENT Community School and Sixth Form Centre has appointed its acting head as the new principal.

For the last year, Kirsten Harrison has led the school out of 'special measures' following a poor Ofsted report, which in January had been turned around and rated as 'good'.

Following the Ofsted judgment, the governors undertook a national recruitment campaign to appoint the best person to continue taking the school forward. After a rigorous two-day selection process, Mrs Harrison was deemed "clearly the best candidate for the job" by the chair of governors, Dave Pettit. The new headteacher was told the good news at the end of April.

Business manager at the school, Ann Price said: "Kirsten is fully committed to the students within the school and during the last year has made improvements resulting in significant progress.  "Nationally, other schools have recognised this achievement, of moving from "special measures" to 'good' in such a short period of time, and some have contacted Kirsten to learn lessons from her experience.

"We are, therefore, fortunate to retain her skills, commitment and energy and we look forward to a productive, creative and rewarding future for all involved with the school. The whole school community congratulates Kirsten on this achievement."

Mrs Harrison added: "I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the school into the future. It was a privilege to continue working with such a dedicated staff and such an excellent group of young people."