ST Augustine’s Catholic College in Trowbridge has welcomed a new headteacher who says he aims to set the school’s sights on becoming a world class place for education.

David Forster, who was appointed in April as the new head of the Wingfield Road school, says has enjoyed his first few days, getting to know Trowbridge and attempting to learn all the pupil’s names.

The 49-year-old has moved from Oxfordshire, where he was deputy head for 10 years at the Oratory boarding school and is looking forward to his new role.

Speaking exclusively to the Wiltshire Times, he said: “The few weeks running up to the start of term are always daunting but once the year starts it’s full steam ahead.

“I am the first external headteacher the school has appointed in a while but the staff members and teachers have been very accommodating and I am confident we are going to have a very successful year.

“The biggest challenge we face is the range in levels of students at the school and helping everyone achieve the best grades possible.

“In comparison to a private school you do not receive as much money but we are looking to extendat the back of the school with some new IT suites and PE changing rooms.

“However, this doesn’t restrict the level of teaching and pastoral from our teachers, who are brilliant.”

Mr Forster, an Oxford graduate, will be teaching regular sixth form maths lessons, as the school look to achieve promising results with the new syllabus.

He said: “All schools across the UK were trying to understand the new syllabus last year. A big challenge for me is to make the school achieve even better grades, finding the next gear.”

An avid singer and musician since he was a teenager, Mr Forster has already joined the school choir and says he has loved singing with his students.”.

“I remember in my interview with a student panel I joked that not everybody can play at the Royal Albert Hall, and they all giggled because one student had just done it,” he said.

The school, which currently holds 1000 students, has taken on new students and will continue to expand the sixth form in the hope of offering more students, who apply, a place.

“We currently have an oversubscription but we want to give everyone who chooses St Augustine’s a chance to learn here. I am looking forward to giving my first Mass assembly service this Friday.”