A NEW principal is to be appointed at Avon Valley College in Durrington as Mark Avoth leaves after four years at the school.

Mr Avoth will leave the role at the end of the year to take up a new post at an academy in Dorset and the recruitment process to find a replacement is about to get under way.

Chairman of governors Caron Hitchen said: “Since his arrival in 2010, Mr Avoth has made many dramatic improvements at Avon Valley College. He has led the college through two ‘good’ Ofsted inspections - the most recent in March 2014 was under the new, much more difficult to achieve, Ofsted criteria. “There have been huge year on year improvements in both our attainment at GCSE and A-level and in the progress that the students make. The students at AVC are now wearing, with pride, a smart new uniform.

“We are about to begin our recruitment process so that we are in the best position to select the right person to take over the reins and continue the journey to move Avon Valley College towards being an outstanding school during the exciting times which are ahead of us with the army rebasing programme.

“Although Mr Avoth will be hugely missed by us all, we wish him every success in his new post and thank him for all his hard work at Avon Valley College.”