SHARON BARNES has been announced as the new head teacher for Ilfracombe Arts College.

Mrs Barnes, who has been a member of staff for 10 years, joining the school as a history teacher, had been the acting head at the school after Brian Sarahan left a year ago.

Governors interviewed three candidates including Mrs Barnes for the job. The others came from North Somerset and Buckinghamshire.

In her new, but now familiar role, Mrs Barnes said: "My priority is to ensure that students make good progress, whether they have learning difficulties or are capable of going on to further and higher education.

"The other thing I'm pleased about is that this will give the school stability. It has been challenging, ensuring continuity and progress, with changing head teachers, but I feel now there is a very clear direction, in terms of improving students and lifting the learning community through the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

"We can also develop a system which builds on the educational points that Ofsted judged to be good, rather than changing things completely, which may have happened in the past.

"I honestly believe we are heading in the right direction and we have got to go with that."

Mrs Barnes is ready for the building challenge. She said: "BSF is going very well. We are at the stage where we are involving as many members of the community as we can."

She said a consultation evening with local businesses and community groups such as pensioners, had gone very well and the next step was to consult with the parents, staff and children of all the feeder primary schools.

She said: "Although the BSF programme will transform the built environment, we have already begun the bigger journey, transforming the curriculum and involvement of the community. It's relatively easy to plan for a new build, but most important is to get right the making of a true community school."