BISHOP Wordsworth's school has announced the appointment of Dr Stuart Smallwood as its new headmaster.

Dr Smallwood, who is deputy head of the Salisbury boys' grammar school, will take over at the helm at the start of the new term in September.

He will succeed Clive Barnett who is stepping down, after ten years as headmaster, to become a schools' inspector.

Dr Smallwood has been deputy head at Bishop Wordsworth's since April 1998 and was previously head of humanities at Sir Thomas Rich's School, in Gloucester.

He has a PhD in geology from Cambridge and has recently completed his National Professional Qualification for Headship.

He is married with three children and lives on the outskirts of Salisbury.

Dr Smallwood takes over as head at a time when the school is undergoing a rebuild.