THE new head of Romsey's Mountbatten School has been paid a glowing tribute in her present school's latest Ofsted report.

Mountbatten announced this week that it had appointed Mrs Heather McIlroy, currently head of the 937-pupil Poltair Community School and Sports College, at St Austell, in Cornwall.

She will succeed Lesley Morffew in September. The school explained that it would be looking for "...a head teacher who will show the same care an dedication that Mrs Morffew has provided us with these last 15 years".

The decision was taken at the end of a long and searching three-day interview process, in which those on the short-list had to go through interviews with pupils, staff and governors.

They also had to outline their methods and priorities and take two assemblies, watched by 1,011 children.

Mrs McIlroy said: "I am absolutely delighted about the appointment. Mountbatten is a happy and confident school and the atmosphere is orderly and purposeful and the pupils are proud of it.

"It is a successful school and I would want to build on that success. I would start with building on the two specialisms of language and sport. The theme will be a top performing international sports college and I would like to broaden the work of the sports college to promote health, fitness and well-being."

Mrs McIlroy, married with an 11-year-old son, was born in Ireland and grew up in Lancashire, attending a local convent grammar school. She qualified as a teacher in religious studies at Birmingham University and has taught in Lancashire, Dorset and Cornwall.

With family in France, Spain and Gibraltar, her interests include travel and spending time with her family.

She comes to Romsey with an outstanding career record, which includes transforming Poltair in the space of just three years.

Its latest Ofsted report, following an inspection last June, the inspector commented: "Two years ago, the school was judged to have serious weaknesses. The new head teacher (Mrs McIlroy) adopted a fresh start' attitude to improvement.

"Under her leadership and with the support of an effective management team and an outstanding governing body, the school has made rapid improvement, particularly in the key area of teaching and learning."

At Mountbatten, however, Mrs McIlroy will be coming to a school which already has impressive Ofsted reports to its credit and in the latest one, it was described as "a good school, with many outstanding features".

Mrs Morffew, who retires at the end of the summer term, was praised to the hilt, too, with the inspector commenting: "Under the outstanding leadership of the head teacher, there is a shared commitment at all levels within the school community to provide the best for all pupils."