Skol Nansledan has announced the appointment of its first Head of School in preparation for its September opening.

Mrs Vicky Dilnot will take up her position on Monday 3rd June, in readiness for the first day of school on Monday 9th September.

With more than 17 years in primary education, Vicky is currently Headteacher at a primary school in Nottingham.  Throughout the rigorous recruitment process, the Aspire Academy Trust, which will run Skol Nansledan, was hugely impressed by Vicky’s passion and commitment to establishing an active and creative learning environment where every child is encouraged to develop as a resilient and motivated learner.

Vicky said: “This is an unusual and fabulous opportunity to build a school from the very beginning, one that sits at the heart of a growing community. As an enthusiastic and dedicated school leader, I am passionate about primary education, developing teams and ultimately providing an outstanding school which has the potential to transform both individual lives and the wider community.”

Skol Nansledan will have 14 classrooms and cater for around 420 children when full. It will open in September with two Reception classes, now confirmed, plus one mixed KS1 class and one mixed KS2 class, applications for which open via Cornwall Council’s School Admissions later in May.

Andrew Fielder, CEO of Aspire Academy Trust, commented: “We are delighted to be welcoming Vicky to the Aspire family, as Head of School at Skol Nansledan.  Under Vicky’s dynamic and intuitive leadership, the children of Nansledan are about to embark upon a learning journey packed full of adventure, discovery, experience and fun.  After all, they are the innovators, educators, leaders and learners of the 21st century and the school motto ‘Today’s Learners, Tomorrow’s Leaders’ reflects this.”

The name of the school, Skol Nansledan, was unveiled by HRH the Duke of Cornwall, when he visited the site last year. ‘Skol’ is Cornish for ‘school’ – fitting with the theme of Cornish names used throughout Nansledan, which means ‘broad valley’.

HRH The Duke of Cornwall also paid a visit to the school in April, as part of a wider visit to Nansledan. He viewed progress on the school met with contractor Midas Construction and signed a roof tile that will be used on the building.

Nansledan is being developed on Duchy-owned land to the east of Newquay and will eventually comprise around 4,000 homes mixed with retail, offices, workshops, green spaces and a range of community facilities. It is being built by a consortium of South West building companies which includes Wainhomes, CG Fry & Son and Morrish Builders.