THE headteacher and staff at a Redditch school have been selected for top roles supporting schools in challenging circumstances and training new teachers

Di Smith, from Abbeywood First School RSA Academy, has been appointed to the role of national leader of education in the latest recruitment round.

National leaders of education, along with staff in their school which is appointed as national support schools, use their knowledge and experience to provide additional leadership capability in other schools in need of support.

Mrs Smith said: “I am extremely pleased that the excellent work that our school team does to support others to achieve better outcomes for children has been recognised and we look forward to continuing to work with other schools to continue that improvement journey.”

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) has responsibility for the appointment of these key roles.

Roger Pope, from the NCTL, said: “I’d like to congratulate Di Smith and Abbeywood First School on being appointed as a national leader of education and national support school. They should be very proud of this achievement.

“National leaders of education are at the heart of school improvement. They’re supporting other schools and developing the next generation of leaders."