Britain’s youngest headteacher appointed to lead Yorkshire school, aged just 28

Alex Reppold, 28, took up the new post this week after the previous head left for another school in February.

But Alex, who has worked in schools in nearby Hull and Malton, says his fresh age will not compromise the education given to youngsters at the school.

He is now head of Pocklington Community Junior School, East Yorks - and is the youngest head in the country.

Alex said: “I have been fortunate I have worked in some wonderful schools.

“To take on a headteacher role at any school is a real privilege. With a good staff team around you, you can do anything.

“I can see enormous potential here. Everyone is very welcoming. I can see what this school could become. It’s about pointing people in the right direction.

“I am allowing people to do their job.”

Mr Reppold, who has been studying for his Masters in Education, said the post as the country’s youngest headteacher “comes with a lot of pressure”.

“Some people will question if I am too young”, he added. “But I am good at my job and can only do my best.

“It is an honour to think I am the youngest. It is about having the right skills for the job.”

He said the school “has the capacity to become a beacon of excellence within the East Riding.

“The town of Pocklington deserves it to be such a school. But at the same time the school cannot be of a generic model, the school’s curriculum needs to be highly tailored to the needs both of the children and the community, it is a community school after all.

“Alongside academic development, schools play a vital part in laying the foundations of the values and attitudes the children will carry with them into their secondary education and into their adult lives.

“This is why being a community school is so important, the community has a role and a responsibility to support these young people and to share their views as to what the adults of tomorrow will be like.

“This isn’t about academic development, we will teach the national curriculum to the very highest standard, rather, this is about the topics we’ll cover, the assemblies we’ll have and the expectations we’ll stand by.”