St Nicholas primary school in Baydon, near Marlborough has just welcomed a new head teacher.

Caroline Knighton, 48, of Aldbourne, has taken the reins at the school in Finches Lane after the retirement of Peter Chambers after 24 years as the head teacher. Mrs Knighton, who had her first day with the children on Monday (September 5) is looking forward to her future at the school.

Mrs Knighton, a mother of two, said: “Apart from the first day on Monday, I have had two teacher training days. I used to be deputy head in Aldbourne and before that I worked at Drove Primary in Swindon which was a very diverse school with over 20 spoken languages, so very different to Baydon. I am very pleased and excited to have been appointed as the Head at Baydon and am much looking forward to working with the children, staff, Governors and community in and around Baydon. The school is poised to take advantage of many opportunities and I look forward to developing these with the excellent team already in place.”

Before starting work in education, Mrs Knighton worked for ten years in the volunteering sector in London after qualifying as a solicitor.

“I worked for the Prince’s Trust and BBC’s Children in Need as I wanted to make a difference. It became clear that good education makes a very big difference in people’s lives so I decided to retrain as a teacher,” she said.

After only being at the school for less than a week, Mrs Knighton has already noticed the warm welcome she has received in her new role.

“The school is extremely open and welcoming, everyone has been really friendly already. I am going to work and see how the school itself works before I even think about what may need to change. I think it is too early to talk about changes, now is the time to get to grips with the school,” she said.

Governors of the school are also pleased with the addition of Mrs Knighton to the Baydon team, certain that her work will carry on the high standard set by Mr Chambers.

Lesley Whelan, chairman of the governors, said: “The governors are delighted to have appointed Caroline as we are certain that she will be able to build on the excellent work of the previous head Peter Chambers. Caroline’s breadth of experience across all three sectors means that she brings many skills over and above her excellent teaching ability and knowledge of the education system.”