THE man set to take over the reins at Brighton Hill Community College has revealed he wants to make it the best-performing school in the county.

He says he already knows how good it is - because his three daughters are former pupils.

David Eyre is to leave his current school - Desborough School in Maidenhead - to take up the headship at Brighton Hill next April.

He replaces Andy Kilpatrick, who left earlier this year to take up a post in London.

This will be Mr Eyre's third post as headteacher and he explained that although he will not be making big changes when he starts at Brighton Hill, he does have a long-term vision.

He would like to see Brighton Hill Community College - which achieved an excellent OFSTED report in May - become the best-performing school in Hampshire.

He said: "It is a big ticket but one I stand up to."

He added: "It is a very exciting opportunity. Some people suggest that when you have had two headships, you might go into inspecting, but for me it is very important that I am working in a school full of children."

Mr Eyre lives in Kempshott, Basingstoke, and he attended the college on Tuesday evening with youngest daughter Annie, 16, for an end-of-year presentation.

His wife Janet is a teacher at Fairfields Primary School and, prior to working in Maidenhead, he was headteacher at The Turnpike School, Newbury.

Mr Eyre said: "Brighton Hill is a larger school and it is a challenge I am really looking forward to. It is an excellently-run school with very high standards that I aim to maintain.

"I know it is a specialist status college for sport and a training school for teachers. I know that the academic standing is very high. It is the fourth-highest-performing school in relation to GCSEs in Hampshire and it is working openly with others. I believe in the benefits of everybody in schools working together in the interest of the town."

Mr Eyre, 52, added: "It is several months now before I take up the headship. What I will be doing during the course of the spring term is visiting the school and talking to as many students and staff as I can, so that I am in a position to move the school on to the next level.

"I will also be making contact with other headteachers in the town to get a feel for how they see things progressing."