Two Dereham schools are set to become the first in the town to share a permanent headteacher.

Kings Park Infant and Grove House Infant and Nursery, on Littlefields, are looking to recruit a single leader to run both sites.

Kings Park was left without a headteacher when the last one took a job elsewhere while long-term sickness left Grove House in the hands of an acting headteacher.

Rather than search for two separate replacements, in September county headteacher Maureen Vaissiere stepped in to take up the headship at both schools, beginning the link between the two.

Now the schools are looking to make that a long-term partnership and recruit a permanent executive headteacher.

Alison Thomas, Norfolk County Council cabinet member for children's services, said the link allowed schools to have the best of both worlds – holding on to their own identities while making the most of chances to link up and share ideas and resources.

She said: 'A partnership would allow them to continue to benefit from the strategic leadership of a single headteacher.

'The arrangement will still mean both schools can maintain their separate ethos but will give pupils and staff more opportunities to work together to further enhance teaching and learning.'

Both Kings Park Infant and Grove House Infant and Nursery schools were visited separately by Ofsted inspectors during 2010.

Each was rated good across the board after making considerable improvements since their previous inspections.