THERE'S a new head teacher at the helm of one of York's top state schools.

Sharon Keelan-Beardsley began her new role as head at All Saints RC School in York earlier this month and has 25 years experience in the profession.

Until Christmas Mrs Keelan-Beardsley was head for six and a half years at St Francis Xavier RC School in Richmond, which, like All Saints, is rated outstanding by Ofsted.

Prior to that she was a deputy head at a school in Leeds and has worked in Bradford and in the North East.

She joins the school as it transitions into becoming part of a brand new 21-school academy trust St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Academy Trust, which would also include St Francis Xavier. The trust will serve the central diocesan areas of North Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire and York.

The plan is for the transition to an academy to take place on September 1, 2019.

Mrs Keelan-Beardsley said: "I had been to All Saints many times before I got the job here and you know straight away that it's a school where the students and staff really care for each other - very similar to St Francis Xavier.

"That's very appealing to me and I want that to continue.

"It's about ensuring that students are thriving academically as well as socially and emotionally.

"It's important to me that young people leave the school with the best life chances.

"Coming in to a school that is outstanding from a school that's outstanding there are always things to do to develop the school to make sure it meets the needs of everybody.

"You can't just sit back, you have always got to be making sure you are at the top of your game and doing the best for everybody."

York Press:

All Saints RC School, which is located on a split site at Mill Mount and Nunnery Lane in South Bank, is part of the Diocese of Middlesbrough which has 54 Catholic schools and academies spread across seven local authority areas, with some 17,514 pupils.

The previous head teacher, Bill Scriven retired last year from his post after 15 years at the helm and 22 years at the school and currently heads up the Middlesborough Diocese teaching school.

Mrs Keelan-Beardsley is only the third head teacher at All Saints and its first female head. The school was founded in 1985 when three schools amalgamated.

The first head was Dr Adrian Elliott.

Mrs Keelan-Beardsley lives in North Yorkshire with her two children and her husband, who works as a head teacher in Leeds.