JUST over two months into his role as the new headmaster of Giggleswick School, former army helicopter pilot, Sam Hart believes he has made the best decision of his career, and has vowed to increase the reputation of the independent school.

Mr Hart has worked in education for 14 years and joins Giggleswick for his first time as a headteacher. He was previously at Winchester College in Hampshire where he held roles as a teacher of physics, housemaster, director of sport and contingent commander of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF).

Having travelled extensively as a child, as an educator, and in the forces, Mr Hart believes there’s something extra special about the Yorkshire Dales.

“I have seen some amazing places over the years, but it’s just incredible here,” he said. “Every morning when I see the beauty of the area - the hills, the greenery - I know how lucky I am and how lucky our pupils are as well. There is no better place to educate children.”

He added: “It’s clear I have a superb team around me and I already have no doubts that this is an excellent place of learning. I am certainly starting from a position of strength.

“The senior leadership is incredibly capable, there are strong relationships between the pupils and staff, and the academic and extra-curricular opportunities are excellent.

“I want to build on those strengths. I want everyone to know where Giggleswick is, the wonderful school we’ve created here and our reputation for excellence.”

He added: “As a housemaster, I was responsible for the pastoral care of 63 boys, 24 hours a day. Keeping them safe, happy and feeling they belonged and were part of something was key. It was like a family, and I learned a lot about the importance of the all-round care of a child.

“It is clearly something Giggleswick also does very well.”

Mr Hart enjoyed a successful career in the Army Air Corp, where he flew Lynx helicopters and was awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding leadership on an operation in Afghanistan.

However, he wants his work in education to take precedence. “I feel what I’ve done and what I’m doing now in education is important. That sense of helping a child to become a grounded, all-round person, building their confidence and developing their individual abilities is incredibly rewarding.

“Academic achievement is an absolute priority, but equally important is our curriculum for life and preparing them for when they go out into the world, be it to university or the workplace.”