A HEADTEACHER has been appointed for a new school which will eventually become home to 500 pupils.

Building work is continuing at Letham Mains Primary School, Haddington, with Bruce Murray appointed the school’s first headteacher.

Letham Mains Primary School pupils are currently being hosted within Haddington Primary School.

Mr Murray, previously headteacher at Windygoul Primary School, is one of a number of new headteachers appointed.

Councillor Shamin Akhtar, the local authority’s spokeswoman for education and children’s services, said: “It’s great that our teachers and senior leaders choose to stay in our authority area and we can retain their experience and enthusiasm within our schools.

“I’m pleased to welcome new headteachers to our schools and look forward to further positive recruitment campaigns to fill the vacancies we have available.”

  • Law Primary School, North Berwick: Jacqui MacKinnon, formerly headteacher at Cockenzie Primary School, has been appointed headteacher at Law Primary School, replacing Jill Wareham who retired at the end of 2018/19 session.
  • Letham Mains Primary School, Haddington: Bruce Murray has been appointed headteacher. Mr Murray was previously headteacher at Windygoul Primary School, in Tranent.
  • Macmerry Primary School: Jonathan Revell has been appointed headteacher. Mr Revell was formerly headteacher at Prestonpans Primary School.
  • Preston Tower Primary School, Prestonpans: Alison Cookson has started as headteacher at the new single school. Ms Cookson joined East Lothian from her previous position as acting CEO with Salford Academy Trust.
  • St Martin's RC Primary School, Tranent: Lauren Davies has been appointed as headteacher. Before taking up this role, Mrs Davies was acting headteacher of St Cuthbert's RC Primary School in Edinburgh.
  • Cockenzie Primary School: Depute headteacher Debbie Mercer has been appointed acting headteacher during the campaign to appoint a new permanent headteacher for the school.
  • Pencaitland Primary School: Pauline McKay, currently headteacher at Campie Primary School, will temporarily move to Pencaitland while recruitment for a permanent headteacher is undertaken. Nicola Thomson, formerly headteacher at Pencaitland, has taken up a depute headteacher position at Preston Tower Primary School, Prestonpans.
  • Campie Primary School, Musselburgh: The headteacher position will be covered by its two depute headteachers, Alison Elgin and Sarah Robson, during Pauline McKay's temporary appointment to the headteacher position at Pencaitland Primary School.
  • Windygoul Primary School, Tranent: Ms Dianne MacKenzie, depute headteacher at the school has been appointed acting headteacher during the campaign to appoint a new permanent headteacher.
  • Humbie/Saltoun Primary Schools: Alison Cameron will continue to cover the schools alongside her substantive role as headteacher of Elphinstone Primary. A new acting depute headteacher post will be recruited to support her and her staff teams across the three schools.
  • West Barns Primary School: Ronnie Taylor, headteacher at Innerwick and Stenton Primary Schools, will cover West Barns Primary School while its headteacher, Gill Whitford, is on a one-year secondment to a Quality Improvement Officer post. A new acting depute headteacher post has been recruited to support him and his staff teams across the three schools.
  • Permanent headteacher positions are currently being advertised for Cockenzie, Pencaitland and Windygoul Primary Schools.