Published: Thursday, 24th September, 2009 6:00am

'We know we've a great school others should know it too'

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THE new headteacher of Preston Lodge High School says one of his biggest challenges will be changing some county residents' negative perception of the school.

Gavin Clark took over at the high school at the beginning of the new term and aims to ensure the school achieves its potential and strengthens its reputation within East Lothian.

"I think the projection that some people outside this cluster have of the school is completely wrong," he said.

"It's already a really good school and one of the key challenges is to make sure it is known as one of the best schools (in East Lothian).

"I always knew that Preston Lodge was a good school and now I'm certain it could be one of the best in Scotland."

The 42-year-old was appointed headteacher following the retirement of Willie Galbraith earlier in the year, and was formerly the depute head at Dunbar Grammar School. Before that, he taught modern studies and economics at Musselburgh Grammar School.

"I'm really looking forward to spending time here and although it's not without its challenges, it is a great school to work in," he added.

"It has just been fantastic here so far and the community have been very welcoming. To come in and take over from the enormous contribution that Willie Galbraith put into the school was pretty daunting."

Committed

Mr Clark - who lives in Edinburgh with his wife Claire and four-month-old son Louis - also plans to give youngsters at the 1,050-pupil school more opportunities for leadership and also wants to strengthen the student council.

And he was full of praise for staff at the school, whom he described as "fantastic" and "totally committed".

"Their dedication and energy is impressive and it's a real strength of the school, as is the support that we already receive from the community," he added.

"There is an encouraging amount of creativity amongst the staff and students, who have come up with many suggestions on how the school could be better and we have to make sure that we harness these ideas."

Mr Clark was schooled in Aberdeen before studying Economics and International Relations at the University of St Andrews.

He completed his teacher training at Moray House in Edinburgh in 1992 and arrived at Dunbar Grammar in 1997 before taking up the position of deputy head in 2002.

He said: "The level of involvement in the new job is much more demanding but I am enjoying it.

"The kids at Dunbar Grammar and Preston Lodge are exactly the same kind of kids and the parents are exactly the same in that they all just want the best for their kids.

"I think there are more similarities between the two schools than differences - the students are able to achieve the very best that they are capable of."