SIR Andrew Carter has ended his 28-year reign as the headteacher of high performing South Farnham School to take on a new role as CEO of the South Farnham Educational Trust.

The junior school in Menin Way became one of the first schools in the country to be awarded academy status in 2011 and has continued to expand ever since - first taking The Bourne infants school under its wing followed by Highfield South Farnham (formerly Pilgrims Way) in 2014.

The South Farnham multi-academy trust (MAT) now educates almost 1,100 children across the Farnham area and its teacher training arm was named among the top 10 teacher trainer providers in the country by the Good Teacher Training Guide 2015.

However, the Department of Education dictates that MAT leaders cannot also serve as a headteacher of one of the schools under their control, for risk of making them accountable to themselves.

For this reason, Sir Andrew has agreed to step aside as South Farnham’s headteacher, a role he has fulfilled since 1988, to become chief executive officer (CEO) of the MAT.

He has been replaced as South Farnham School’s headteacher by Claire Donnachie, who has helped oversee the school’s junior and infant sites since 2014.

Sir Andrew told The Herald: “I’m still very much here sitting in my office where I’ve always been, and the school continues to run in the same way as before. We’re very fortunate to have Claire who lives in Farnham, and the philosophy is very much the same.

“Of course the school will evolve but this isn’t the notion where you get someone new in and they’ve got to work it all out. This is a planned development and there will be continuity.”

Sir Andrew added the South Farnham Educational Trust will continue to develop in coming years, hinting that “there may well be some other schools that join us in the fullness of time”.