HEADTEACHER Lynne Wood will be spending her lunchtimes on the road next term - driving between the two schools under her care.

She is about to become the first headteacher in North Yorkshire to take charge of two schools.

Bilsdale Midcable and Chopgate CE and Carlton and Faceby CE primary schools will become two of only a handful in the country with a shared headteacher.

"It is a very exciting prospect, I am really looking forward to it," said Mrs Wood, a teacher for the past 32 years. "It is really good to be at the forefront of something that is going to become the national picture."

Only 48 children attend the two schools, between Helmsley and Stokesley, and the county's education service decided to take an innovative approach when the headteacher vacancy arose at Carlton.

Carolyn Bird, education service development manager said: "It is always difficult to attract heads to small schools because they have to do everything - teach all week and do all the paperwork at night.

"Getting a high quality person who can do all of these things is very difficult these days."

After Easter the two schools, which are only five miles apart, will remain independent with separate governing bodies, but will share their headteacher.

"I will be teaching in each school every day and will nip up and down in the car during the lunch hour," said Mrs Wood.