He has been Senior Vice Principal for nearly three years with responsibility for attendance, behaviour and welfare. Since then attendance has significantly increased and behaviour has improved, both key aspects highlighted in the school’s latest Ofsted report.

Mr Segalini is stepping into the role vacated by former Principal Paul Davies. He is positive that both he, and the staff, are fully committed to making sure that Kettering Science Academy continues to improve.

He said: ‘It is quite clear what our priorities are. My ethos is on getting our teachers sharper on teaching, learning and, particularly, on marking and assessment and shaping a management team around that. My priority is to have middle leaders, such as Heads of Department and Heads of Year, to be an extension of the senior management team so they take ownership rather than having something dictated to them. I am a very big team leader and a very big team player. We have a clear direction of travel and it has got to be the grass roots of Teaching, Learning and Assessment in the classroom taking us forward.’

Mr Segalini, a history teacher, has been in the profession for 20 years and joined the Brooke Weston Trust in 2008 as Assistant Vice Principal at Corby Business Academy. He was promoted to Vice Principal the following year with responsibility for behaviour and welfare before being seconded to Kettering Science Academy in 2014, a move that became permanent.

He said: ‘Having worked at two schools within the Brooke Weston Trust already I can see how support and collaboration between the Trust and the individual schools is so vital and so I am looking forward to working closely with, and learning from, senior leaders and principals from across the Trust secondaries and beyond.’

He enjoyed a very good working relationship with Mr Davies and built a solid rapport with staff, students and parents: ‘Paul did a fantastic job here. He took the school from a low point to a point now, where it is quite clear where we need to go. I am confident we can move forward to where we need to be, which is, quite clearly, a good school. I know we are a good school, however we need to demonstrate this to Ofsted and everybody else.

‘I am a very reflective leader so strategically I am always thinking about how to improve and make things better. I will lead from the front and operationally get involved at whatever level. I like to be visible around the building and I like students to know that I am in charge. I get on with staff and have built up a relationship with them over the last three years.

‘What excites me is the challenge of being Interim Principal of KSA because, as Vice Principal, you are not that person making those ultimate decisions. The challenge is that the staff respect me in that position and  that I am able to captain this ship to where it needs to be.