A new headteacher has been appointed to lead a school which councillors feared could head towards closure.

Longhill High School in Falmer Road, Rottingdean, announced this week Haydn Stride would be taking up the headship from September.

He will replace Geoff Ellis, the head for the past nine years, who retired in February to recover from an illness which has prevented him from working since September.

The school said Mr Stride was an "outstanding" new headteacher selected from a field of 20 applicants.

Longhill acting headteacher Peter Lonsdale, who will retire this summer, said: "He has been a deputy head in two schools, has a vast amount of experience and I have total confidence that he is the right person to lead Longhill."

In January Brighton and Hove city councillor Lynda Hyde, who represents Rottingdean, raised concerns about the school's ability to handle a new catchment area which would include deprived areas of East Brighton.

She said the school was missing staff in several senior positions and lacked the financial resources to handle what she felt would be a difficult intake.

Coun Hyde warned Longhill could "go the way of Comart", the failed school in Wilson Avenue, Whitehawk, which was closed in 2005.

She said yesterday that Mr Stride's appointment was an extremely positive move.

Coun Hyde said: "I'm exceedingly optimistic it will ensure that Longhill becomes very successful."

Mr Stride's appointment coincides with a series of measures by the school to strengthen its leadership team.

Acting deputy head Jo Cassidy has been given her role permanently while two other staff members have been made acting assistant heads for the Summer term.

A consultant expert, Carol Sullivan, will join the school's management team for two days a week for a year and Longhill has also announced that Peter Evans, head of Cardinal Newman Catholic school in Hove, and his deputy Malvena Sanders will be visiting the school once a week to give advice and assistance.

Mr Stride will be appointing two new senior members of staff within the next few weeks to take up positions from September.

Longhill has a good academic record and was rated satisfactory by Ofsted inspectors when they last visited in 2003.

Mr Ellis said he was disappointed to have had to step down from his position.

He said: "The stresses of the job are not likely to help my long term recovery and I am not prepared to do a job as headteacher without being able to give it all my time and energy.

"It has been a privilege to be the headteacher of a genuine comprehensive school with an outstanding ethos and atmosphere."

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