THE headteacher at Abertillery Comprehensive School is to resign from his position, to move on to a new role in the education sector.

The Blaenau Gwent head teacher, Paul Stock, said the career move was something he had always wanted to do.

Speaking to the Argus yesterday, Mr Stock said: “I’m moving on to a different role within education, taking up a post as a trainer for iNet.”

Mr Stock will be a programme co-ordinator for iNet, international networking for educational transformation, Wales, training middle to senior leaders in education across the country. He said: “I’ve found employment in something I’ve always wanted to do, which is training and developing other school leaders.”

It is not yet clear when Mr Stock will be leaving, but he said: “My main priority at the moment is to be headteacher at Abertillery.”

Last year, Mr Stock vowed to show improvement after a damning Estyn inspection report.

Abertillery Comprehensive School was placed in the inspectorate’s ‘significant improvement’ category, one above special measures.

The county’s education department was placed in special measures in January 2012 and a joint education officer was appointed for both Blaenau Gwent and Newport councils in February.

The school merged with Nantyglo Comprehensive in August 2010 when 150 pupils joined Abertillery.

In the school’s May 2013 Estyn report, standards and resource management were deemed unsatisfactory and teaching was only said to be good in around half of lessons. Teaching was repeatedly criticised for not being challenging.

Earlier this year, the school reported improvements in pupil standards, predicting 60 per cent of year 11 to acheive five GCSEs at grade C or above, 40 per cent with English and Maths. At the time of the last inspection only 42 per cent of pupils achieved five GCSEs, with 24 per cent of these also achieving English and Maths.

A Blaenau Gwent Council spokeswoman said: “We are unable to respond to enquiries relating to individual members of staff.”