A NEW head teacher has been appointed at a York school which is set to become the city’s second primary academy.

Zoe Lightfoot, who is currently deputy head at St George’s RC Primary School in Fishergate, has been named as the new head at Haxby Road Primary School, which will become an academy from February 1 next year.

Ms Lightfoot will work closely with executive head teacher Richard Ludlow, who is responsible for Haxby Road and the city’s other primary academy, Robert Wilkinson in Strensall, which became an academy at the start of December. Both schools are part of the Ebor Academy Alliance.

As The Press reported in October Ofsted, which put Haxby Road Primary in special measures earlier this year, revealed that eight members of staff including the acting head and assistant head, had left since April. Ofsted previously found the achievement of pupils was inadequate at the school.

Its former head teacher, Mike Schofield, resigned last year after an investigation by the Qualification Curriculum Development Agency (QDCA) into how the school conducted its maths and English SATS tests.

But the watchdog said in its latest report that significant improvements had been observed during a monitoring inspection in September.

Mr Ludlow said Ms Lightfoot’s appointment means she will join him on the Ebor senior management team along with Helen Hayes Smith, the head of lower school and Chris Evans, the head of upper school, at Robert Wilkinson.

Ms Lightfoot, 39, has three children, Jack, 18, Sam, 14, and Chloe, six, and joined St George’s in 2000 as a newly qualified teacher. She will take up the Haxby Road headship after the Easter break next year.

She said: “I’m really excited and really looking forward to it. When I went to look round the school it had a really lovely ethos. There’s an absolute air of anticipation. They are ready to fly really.” There’s such a team atmosphere; it’s ready to go places.

“Haxby Road has had a difficult time, but it is now part of the first primary academy in York and it’s at the forefront of the academy agenda.”