THE new head-teacher at St John’s Primary School in Wellington is busy getting his feet under the table after his first few weeks at the school.

Ollie Priestley knows the town well after teaching at Wellesley Park Primary School for more than seven years, the last three-and-a-half as deputy head.

Mr Priestley, who has just turned 40, said: “I’m thoroughly enjoying being at St John’s – and it’s nice to be back in Wellington.”

He had previously been head-teacher at Willowdown Primary Academy in Bridgwater for more than two years and saw pupil numbers rise from 108 when he started to just under 200 when he left.

He is now starting his 17th year in education after a three-year degree in Swansea at the University of Wales and his one-year teaching qualification at teacher training college in Cambridge where he originally hails from.

He taught at a school outside Cambridge for four years before coming to the Westcountry and a school at South Molton and then Wellesley Park in Wellington.

Mr Priestley said: “I was looking for a new challenge and I am delighted to be at St John’s. It is more than 150 years old and part of Wellington’s history – and when I came to visit, the place just had warmth.

“There’s a sense of pride about the school and that is very exciting because every day the children want to be here and the staff want the very best for the children. Leading a school like this is a fantastic opportunity.”

St John’s has about 180 pupils aged from four to 11 and Mr Priestley says the school has had good head-teachers and teachers – and he is looking to build on their work rather than make lots of changes.

He said: “The staff have been so supportive and I am learning about how to be a head teacher the St John’s way, and getting used to its routines and procedures. This is a good school and my job here is adding value – I don’t want to come here and reinvent the wheel and change everything for change’s sake.”

Mr Priestley also said he welcomed the school’s links with the Rev Tim Treanor at St John’s Church and said he was hoping to build up the school’s PTFA.