AN Essex primary school has shunned traditional advertisements for a new headteacher in favour of a lonely hearts ad.

AN Essex primary school has shunned traditional advertisements for a new headteacher in favour of a lonely hearts ad.

Ridgewell Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School in Halstead placed its eye-catching advertisement in the Times Educational Supplement.

Rather than sticking to traditional descriptions, the school's ad reads:

“Are you out there?

“Popular, attractive, small but bubbly village school (138 years old) on the Essex/Suffolk/Cambridgeshire border seeks new headteacher for fun, friendship and learning for life.”

The school, which has around 78 pupils aged four to 11, describes itself as “enthusiastic, happy, keen to learn”.

Its advert says the right person for the post, due to start in January 2010, is a “Senior Teacher or Deputy Headteacher with GSOH, energy and vision”.

Chair of Governors Sarah Howard said it was hoped the ad would make Ridgewell stand out from all the other small primary schools trying to find a new head.

She said: “Our head has been with us five years and he has been fantastic but it's time for him to progress on to the next thing.

“Last time we advertised five years ago we did it the usual boring way.

“We advertised twice and got nothing.

“I had this brainwave to do it that way and scribbled something down and showed the other governors and hey presto, it worked, we got lots of interest.

“We want to attract someone who is going to have the same sort of thought process as us.

“It's such a tough market out there you have to differentiate yourself.

“We've got to stand out somehow. On paper we are just another small primary school. We know we're not, but it's just communicating that to other people.”