SPRINGFIELDS Academy in Calne has named Jon Hamp as Principal after nearly two years as acting principal.

Mr Hamp was covering for Trystan Williams during his period away from the school and will take up the full-time position in June.

He joined the Springfields Academy, a school for children with complex learning, emotional, social and behavioural difficulties, in 2009 as a deputy head teacher.

Previously, he had worked at John Bentley School in Calne, and Mr Hamp is looking to move the school forward after a turbulent few months.

He said: “The academy has to move forward for the children who are here, many of them have arrived in that 20 month period and fortunately for them they are unaware of any of the issues that have been part of the academy during that period.

“What they are interested in is the range of activities, the friends they are going to be with, and all the different things we provide, it’s our job to focus them very much on that.”

The newly appoint principal started teaching 28 years ago in Plymouth but has been in Wiltshire for the past 15 years.

Mr Hamp, who has a wife and four children and will continue to live on-site at the Academy, added: “I have seen the academy change in terms of intake of pupils and their level of need.

“I have seen teaching staff and curriculum change to meet that need and that process will need to continue. There’s no complacency in terms of who we once were and what we once did, that’s not important now for the needs of the young people who are here and their families.

Chair of governors, Ninna Gibson, said: "The Governors are delighted to have appointed Jon Hamp after a rigorous selection process. Mr Hamp is highly qualified and professional and has thoroughly earned this promotion to Head Teacher.

"There are so many exciting opportunities for the school and the governors look forward to working with Jon and his team to achieve the best possible outcomes for the pupils."

Mr Hamp hopes the continuity his appointment provides will offer the school stability and is looking forward to improving the parent forum.

He also plans to increase provision for key stage two pupils and those wishing to stay in education at the school beyond 16.

“There’s a dual aim; to absolutely maintain the quality of your core delivery, secondly we have to look at where we can grow our provision, no organisation can stand still.

“We have begun working with the Local Authority to develop numbers of young children at key stage two at the Springfields Academy we can work with this children so they can access more mainstream provision when they are older.”