A TEACHER is swapping one rural school for another after being appointed to her first headteacher’s post.

Tessa Fenoughty will bid farewell to Middleton-in-Teesdale Primary School, where she is currently the deputy head, at the end of the summer term.

She is moving to nearby Butterknowle Primary School, whose current headteacher, Paul Ruane, is retiring after 19 years.

Mrs Fenoughty, said that after seven years at Middleton-in-Teesdale, the time was right for a move.

“I arrived as the school was reorganising the nursery and reception classes to make the early years foundation stage.

“They wanted someone to manage and integrate the unit and I have spent the last seven years working with the rest of the school and staff to improve the provision of early years education.”

Mother-of-two Mrs Fenoughty began teaching in 1987. In a varied career, she worked as a secondary school geography teacher and university lecturer before concentrating on early years provision in 2002.

She said changes being introduced to the National Curriculum in September made it a good time to take on a new challenge.

“Butterknowle is a school on the up and received a good Ofsted report last September,” added Mrs Fenoughty.

“This new National Curriculum is going to require new ways of thinking and working and I have a good feeling Butterknowle is excited about embracing any changes.

“Butterknowle is a small school and I will still have a teaching capacity. I wanted a school where I would feel very close to the learning,” she said.