The Seckford Foundation Free Schools Trust has announced that Miss Nikola King will be the headteacher of Ixworth Free School.

The school will open its doors in September this year pending a funding agreement with the Department of Education.

It will hold 600 pupils and will be located in the site of the former Ixworth Middle School.

On their website Dr Robert Cawley, principal of the Seckford Foundation Free Schools Trust, said the Trust had “great pleasure” in welcoming Miss King as headteacher designate.

Miss King has been teaching since 1999 and was previously a head of English and a deputy headteacher.

She received a BA (Hons) in Literature and a PGCE from the University of Hertfordshire before completing a Masters in Education at Cambridge University.

More recently Miss King has completed her National Professional Qualification for Headship and is currently studying for a doctorate at King’s College London.

Miss King said: “The key to the success of any school is the strong partnerships that the school develops with its parents, carers and wider community. By working together, we can ensure that each student in our care receives the best support and guidance available.

“I recognise my responsibility as Headteacher is to ensure that at Ixworth Free School we fulfil our aims and build on our achievements, so as to ensure that students when leaving the school are well prepared to face life’s future challenges with confidence and pride.

“At Ixworth Free School we are committed to opening the hearts and minds of the young people that join us, to ensure that they test the boundaries of their abilities and realise their full talents.

“My aim, and that of my staff, will be to give students the means to excel in every aspect of life, by nurturing them as individuals, and yet encouraging our students to understand and appreciate the differences they meet in others within our unique and caring community.”