Headteacher Andy Cairns is leaving Kingmoor Junior School in a strong position, as he moves to the Belle Vue primary school in Carlisle that he went to as a child.

Mr Cairns has a long history with Belle Vue Primary School, where he had previously been a student, a teacher and deputy head.

The 38-year-old will return to the school on Beaver Road, Carlisle, in September as headteacher and said he is looking forward to the new challenge.

He said: “It’s about a primary school being the next step in my career and having a belief that I could make a difference.”

Mr Cairns believes his history with the school has given him a good grounding of where it has been and now has high hopes for where it will go.

“I would expect we make sure Belle Vue Primary School is at the heart of its community and is an inspirational place of learning where children thrive, feel safe and happy,” he said.

Teamwork is very important to Mr Cairns and one of the keys to running schools as big as Belle Vue and Kingmoor Junior School, on Liddle Close, Lowry Hill, which have the capacity for 420 and 300 pupils respectively.

Ofsted inspectors gave Kingmoor Junior School a good rating in a report published last week and praised the leadership team at the school for maintaining a good quality of education. They also commented that the school had a bright and lively atmosphere where children’s outcomes continue to be good and are improving.

Inspectors praised Mr Cairns for handling the school’s expansion well and leaving it in a good position.

The report stated: “You are leaving the school to take up a new post in September 2016 and have ensured you leave a legacy of strong practice on which Kingmoor can build.”

Lindsey Slater, the headteacher of Houghton C of E School, will come in as interim headteacher at Kingmoor until January 2017, when the new headteacher, yet to be appointed, will start.

Mr Cairns has been head at the school since January 2009, when the school had a satisfactory rating.

He said: “There’s been lots of changes within the school. It’s been a lot of hard work to make sure we’re a step ahead of the changes nationally to the curriculum. I really feel like we have built a team here that any school could be proud of.

“With the Ofsted, it was nice to have that external stamp of approval of the school.”

He believes Kingmoor School will continue to strive, flourish and move forward. “I think it felt like the right time for me personally in the sense I feel the next step in my career was to take on a primary school.” he said.