The Midsomer Norton Schools’ Partnership says it is delighted to announce the appointment of Kerrie Courtier as the new Headteacher of Norton Hill Primary School, set to open in September 2020.

Mrs Courtier is the former Headteacher of Longvernal School, and took the school from an Ofsted rating of ‘Requiring Improvement’ to ‘Good with Outstanding features’. Under her leadership, Longvernal went from strength to strength, with SATS results that outperform national expectations and make it a high performing school in the local area. The school has doubled in size in the past five years, and has its own Forest School Nursery. She was responsible for securing funding from B&NES Council, an £800,000 project which has expanded and improved the classrooms and facilities at Longvernal.

Mrs Courtier has a wealth of experience of leadership in schools, and prior to joining the Midsomer Schools Partnership, she was Assistant Headteacher at Weston All Saints Primary School, an Outstanding primary school in Bath. She is a recognised Local Leader in Education and has supported other schools in the Radstock and Bath area to improve their teaching.

The Governors and Mrs Courtier are excited about the wealth of opportunities on offer to pupils who will attend the new Norton Hill Primary School. Examples include STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic), modern languages and Forest School/Outdoor Learning. Mrs Courtier is a specialist leader in Forest School, and has been responsible for shaping outdoor learning for schools in the area. She has worked closely with the secondary schools in the Midsomer Schools’ Partnership so that specialist teachers from the secondary schools will be on hand to support the new primary school – examples include engineering and the teaching of modern languages. Norton Hill Primary School will also have superb sports provision, with two indoor sports halls, a dance studio, two large pitches for football and rugby and a hard-surface sports pitch.

Mrs Courtier is an avid Bath Rugby supporter; she enjoys following sports activities and the arts. “I am proud to be appointed the Executive Headteacher of Norton Hill Primary school, the facilities and wide curriculum opportunities are outstanding. I am excited by the facilities, and am looking forward to providing a high quality education for all pupils who attend.”

The new Headteacher at Longvernal Primary School is Mrs Karen Bazeley.