A NEW principal has taken the helm at a Hampshire sixth form college.

Itchen Sixth Form College in Bitterne, Southampton, has appointed Alex Scott as its new principal.

Mr Scott started his teaching career at Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh where he rose through the ranks to be deputy principal before going on to be vice-principal at Brockenhurst College in the New Forest for more than a decade.

He also has strong links with the community surrounding Itchen College, having grown up in the area.

Talking about the new appointment, Mr Scott said: “I am excited to be joining Itchen Sixth Form College, returning to the area of Southampton where I spent my childhood.

“I have waited for the position of principal at Itchen Sixth Form College to become available for a number of years.

“I see Itchen as a good college with strong student recruitment throughout Southampton and Hampshire. It offers a wide-

ranging and relevant curriculum with excellent support for its students.

“I will bring the experience I have gained across my previous appointments to take Itchen forward to what I see as a very bright future.”

Mr Scott replaced interim principal Vanessa Cass, who will remain at the college in her previous post as deputy principal.

He was selected for the post by the college governors back in November 2016 after an intensive three-day interview process.

Itchen College, which has more than 1,500 students and 200 staff members, was founded back in 1906 when it was originally a co-educational secondary school followed by a grammar school in the 1940s and then a sixth form college after educational reform abolished many grammar schools in the 1980s.