ROBERT Dunbar has been appointed the new head teacher of St Mary s RC School in Royston. And he says there will be exciting times ahead. Mr Dunbar, who has been at the school since 1984, has been acting head teacher for nine months and will succeed Tony

ROBERT Dunbar has been appointed the new head teacher of St Mary's RC School in Royston.

And he says there will be "exciting times" ahead.

Mr Dunbar, who has been at the school since 1984, has been acting head teacher for nine months and will succeed Tony Carroll, who retired from the post last summer.

He said he was determined to preserve the school's "excellent" academic reputation which saw it come 29th in the country in 2006.

Mr Dunbar said, too, that he wants to strengthen the school's "sense of community" in a way which will see the involvement of pupils.

"I look forward to many and new exciting times ahead working with the community," he said.

Mr Dunbar's teaching career at the school has seen him take classes in Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, and he was also responsible for field trips.

His keen interest in football led to him becoming a founder member of Royston Celtic along with Tony Galvin and Andy Gilroy.

Other interests include history and especially the Tudor period. "I would like to be known as the new head on the block," he said.