Woodham Academy’s soon-to-be new head teacher says he’s privileged to be taking on the role later this summer.
Andrew Bell will succeed Christine Forsyth as Woodham’s head in September.
And he says he wants to build on the work Mrs Forsyth has made during her eight-year spell as the school’s leader.
“I think I am pretty clear, that there’s not a lot of things broken in this school,” Mr Bell told Aycliffe Today.
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“So, the challenge is to look at everything and how do you make it just that little bit better.
“Parents are trusting us to educate their boys and girls, there theirs, they love them. Therefore, when they hand them over to us, that’s a privileged position.
“I like to use the word trust quite a bit because it is probably one of the biggest decisions a parent will ever make.
“Who are they trusting to educate their son or daughter, they only have one or two of them, you would imagine, it’s a big decision and therefore when they make that decision, they have to look at what do we offer, what do we stand for, what are going to do with them when they’re here.”
Mr Bell says Woodham can be proud of the extra-curricular activities the school offers its students – something he also wants to continue.
He added: “Are we just going to make them an exam robot?? Are we just going to churn them out at the end with a set of qualifications? No. They’re going to get extra opportunities, they’re going to get extra circular activities, trips and visits. They’re certainly not going to be reduced on my watch, as the headteacher.
“Christine was really clear about that when I first started working here that education is a holistic thing and it will continue under my headship, absolutely none of those things will be removed.”
