A HEREFORD headmaster has looked back on his 14 years in charge of a city school with great pride at the improvements made.

Tony Wray, who stepped down as head of Aylestone High School on July 18, said he had gained deep satisfaction from the fact that parents now wanted to send their children to the school.

"When I arrived in 1989 the school roll stood at 970 pupils; it now numbers 1,253 and there is still pressure from out-of-catchment parents to find places for their children," he explained.

Mr Wray also highlighted the marked rise in exam results and the progress made to school facilities.

"The huge improvement in the public examination pass rate in the school - a 25% improvement over 14 years - is also a fact of which all of those associated with Aylestone School can be proud of," he said.

"I am pleased that significant improvements to the fabric of the school - most notably a new English block, a new humanities block and hall and many classroom refurbishments - have been achieved since 1989," he added.

Tony Curran will be taking temporary charge of the school until a permanent successor is found in January, and Mr Wray wished everyone well for the new school year.