EDUCATION chiefs have defended the temporary appointment of a south Ceredigion headteacher to an Aberystwyth Catholic school.

A temporary headteacher has been appointed at St Padarn’s Primary School in Aberystwyth while the school’s governing body and Catholic Education Service try to find a permanent headteacher.

But while the council has admitted the current temporary head, Geoff Davies, is also the headteacher of Ysgol Dihewyd and Ysgol Cilcennin, the authority has said that it not unusual and said headteachers that cover a number of schools over distances are often successful.

Dihewyd is around 20 miles from Aberystwyth, with Cilcennin almost 17 miles.

The council spokesperson said: “The current headteacher of St Padarn’s Catholic Primary School is a temporary appointment until the governing body appoints a permanent postholder.

"As a voluntary aided Catholic school this appointment is the responsibility of the governing body of the school and the Catholic Education Service.

"The interim headteacher is also the headteacher of Ysgol Dihewyd and Ysgol Cilcennin. Similar arrangements, where a headteacher is responsible for more than one school, are in place for a significant number of primary schools across Ceredigion and Wales."

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