An experienced headteacher is returning to her hometown of Ipswich to take over leadership of the Raedwald Trust.

Angela Ransby has been appointed as the new chief executive of the trust, which provides alternative education for students unable to attend mainstream schools in Ipswich.

Mrs Ransby has moved back to Suffolk from Oxfordshire, where as headteacher she took Oxford Hospital School from special measures to outstanding in just 30 weeks.

Originally from Ipswich, having attended Westbourne Academy as a youngster, Mrs Ransby says she wants the trust to become a ‘beacon of best practice in the county’

She said: “I am very much looking forward to joining a homegrown trust with a strong local reputation.

“There is some great work taking place to support those that need it across Ipswich and I can see a great potential to increase the impact that alternative provision can have on young people.

“I started teaching because I wanted to make a difference to young people, and I still believe that whatever their circumstances, young people deserve to receive the very best quality of education.

“My ambition is for the Raedwald Trust to become beacon of best practice in Suffolk and nationally, positively impacting more young people through direct pupil facing work as well as through strong partnerships with schools and services.”

Mrs Ransby has a wealth of experience of alternative education provision, having worked in various teaching roles in the UK and spearheading education programmes in East Africa through her work with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) and SOS Children’s Villages.

She is also a member of the national executive committee for Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provision and sits on the committee for the National Association of Hospital and Home teaching.

The Raedwald Trust offers alternative education for students who cannot attend mainstream schools due to exclusion, behavioural issues or short and long-term illness at eight locations around Ipswich including Parkside Academy, Westbridge Academy and Lindbergh Campus as well as Ipswich Hospital School.