THE new headteacher of Brampton Primary School has thanked both staff and pupils for the warm welcome he has received - and says he is looking forward to the year ahead.

Richard Clark, who spent seven years as deputy head at Stanwix School, joined earlier this month. Having spent a total of 15 years at Stanwix, he previously worked at Newlaithes Junior School, where he began his teaching career.

An Ofsted inspection report published in March this year said that the school requires improvement - and it is something that Mr Clark wants to put right.

“When I look at the past I can see that the school has been through some difficult times,” he told The Cumberland News.

“First and foremost I want to make sure that this is a good school. I’ve spoken to staff and the deputy headteacher, Chris Armstrong and they are very supportive.

“Brampton is a very tight community and although a lot of people might think it’s a good school from their own experiences, the Ofsted report says otherwise and we need to put that right.

“Even though I’ve only been here a few weeks I can see that morale is high and that everyone wants to make sure that the school improves. I think that the school was crying out for change and that’s what I hope to do."

Mr Clark, who is from Stoke-on-Trent and previously worked as a newspaper photographer, said that he wants to ensure children attending Brampton Primary School are part of a nurturing environment and that every pupil has support in achieving their goals.

“Every child has to have the opportunity to be reach their potential, whatever that might be.” he added.

Mr Clark said that he still very much sees himself as a class teacher and is keen to use the skills he has developed so far to help Brampton improve.

“At Stanwix I did PE and that’s something I’d like to follow up at Brampton, maybe putting on some sports events for the children,” he said. “I don’t want to put down the previous head but it’s just a different perspective.”

However Mr Clark said that he is keen not to make too many changes. “There’s two ways you can do things when you come into a new school,” he explained. “You can either change nothing and let things carry on as they were, which I don’t think is the right thing.

“Or you can change too many things at once, which also isn’t right. It’s about getting a balance. I’ve been working closely with staff and I think everyone is confident that we can continue to improve.

“We need to tailor the curriculum correctly for the needs of the children and introducing new activities is a big step.

“One of the things that I’m really keen to do is to develop a new library, that’s one of the things I’m quite excited about and that I think will be a big benefit to the school.”

While the new term is still in its infancy, Mr Clark said he is delighted by the welcome he has been given by both pupils and staff. “Children are happy to come up to me in the corridor and ask questions,” he said.

“In my first assembly I gave out headteacher’s awards, something that you wouldn’t normally do, because people have been so helpful.

"I’m still talking to people and finding things out myself and the children have been helping me with that. The atmosphere in the school is excellent.”