HERMITAGE Academy is set for “an exciting new chapter”, according to parents, with the appointment of a new permanent head teacher to the school.

The post has been offered to Robert Williamson, currently head of Drumchapel High School in Glasgow.

Mr Williamson succeeds David Mitchell, head of Dunoon Grammar School, who has carried out the Hermitage role on an acting basis since August. No date has been set for when Mr Williamson will take up his new post.

Stella Kinloch, chair of Hermitage Academy’s parent council, said: “We are delighted with the appointment. of Mr Robert Williamson as head teacher.Mr Williamson brings a breadth of senior leadership experience, a proven record of school improvements and fresh vision on parental engagement, all of which the parent council believes are key to continuing the successes for Hermitage Academy.”

Ms Kinloch, an HR professional, and parent council colleague Gilan MacLeod, a principal teacher at another Glasgow school, both sat on the interview panel. which offered the post to Mr Williamson.

Ms Kinloch continued: “The parent council looks forward to working with Mr Williamson and the wider senior team at the Academy in this exciting new chapter.”

Mr Mitchell took over as head teacher on a temporary basis after no suitable candidate was identified in the first round of interviews.

Argyll and Bute Council leader Aileen Morton, a Helensburgh Central councillor, said: “Having gone through two rounds of recruitment I’m delighted to hear that an offer has now been made to appoint a new head teacher for the Academy.

“The interview process didn’t involve councillors but I’m absolutely sure our education officers and the parent council will have made a good choice and I look forward to welcoming Mr Williamson when he gets here.

“David Mitchell has done a great job filling in this term but I know Dunoon Grammar are keen to have him back as soon as possible!”

Mr Mitchell added: “It has been a pleasure working in Hermitage Academy. I have really enjoyed my time in the school getting to know the staff pupils and parents.

“The new head teacher is a lucky man. He is taking over at an excellent school.

“I wish the staff and pupils every success for the future and wish Mr Williamson all the best in his new post.”

Mr Williamson took over as head of Drumchapel High in August 2012, following a critical report on the school by Education Scotland the previous year.

But in a follow-up report in 2014, inspectors decided the school had made sufficient improvement that no further inspection visits would be required.

West of Scotland Conservative MSP and Helensburgh resident Maurice Corry, whose children were all educated at Hermitage, said: “I’m delighted to learn of Mr Williamson’s appointment. I’ve heard very good reports of the work he has done in taking Drumchapel High forward and I look forward to him producing excellent results and taking Hermitage forward.”

The council informed Hermitage parents on Friday that the post had been offered to Mr Williamson.

A small number of people questioned the appointment on social media, pointing to 2017 league tables which place Drumchapel High at the bottom of the rankings for Glasgow.

Others, however, highlighted other indicators such as the number of school leavers entering a positive destination – which, at 86 per cent, is well above the national average of 64 per cent – and indicators of high levels of deprivation in the school's catchment area.

Mr Williamson will take over at Hermitage after previous head Geoff Urie retired in June following 11 years at the helm of the school.

Mr Urie’s departure was announced just before education inspectors published a report in May labelling the leadership of change at the school as ‘weak’, while three other quality indicators were only ‘satisfactory’.

That report did, however, praise the school’s welcoming ethos and positive relations between staff and both pupils and parents.

Education Scotland promised to carry out a further inspection of the school within two years.

The school was also at the centre of a row in 2015 over a new curriculum model which saw no pupils sit exams in their fourth year.

A council review saw greater flexibility introduced to the school’s exam system after parents raised concerns that some pupils might leave school without any qualifications at all.