The appointment of a headteacher from north Norfolk will be a 'significant step' in the recovery of Sewell Park College, the chairman of its interim governors has said.

Penny Bignell has led Cromer Academy for three-and-a-half years, and was recently promoted to a new executive principal position covering Cromer and Hethersett academies

In a letter to Cromer parents yesterday, she said she would join Sewell Park, in Norwich, on April 13.

The college has been in special measures since November, although an Ofsted monitoring report this month said it was in 'a good position from which it can improve quickly'.

Sewell Park's interim executive board (IEB) had originally hoped to appoint a new headteacher through the Talented Leaders programme run by education charity the Future Leaders Trust, which aims to match headteachers with schools in difficult circumstances.

However, IEB chairman John Catton said it was disappointed by the matching process and put Future Leaders on hold.

He said Mrs Bignell was appointed after facing strong competition from three other candidates, one of whom came via Future Leaders.

Mr Catton said: 'We had four strong applicants and Penny did have to work for her appointment, but she came through with her experience in Cromer as a head, in particular her track record of school improvement. It's a very significant step in the recovery of Sewell Park.'

He said Sewell Park's proposed academy sponsor Right for Success was involved in the appointment process.

In her letter, Mrs Bignell said: 'I leave Cromer with a heavy heart, having grown very fond of the town and got to know many parents and members of the community during my time here. I am delighted with the successive good GCSE results and 'good' rating from Ofsted during this time.'

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