CRUSADING headmaster John King has been handed the task of leading troubled William Edwards School and Sports College in Grays into a new era.

Mr King, awarded an OBE last year for his educational achievements , will remain head teacher at Corringham's Gable Hall School meaning he will be in charge of the future of more than 2,300 students, around a quarter of the borough's senior schoolchildren.

As well as leading Gable Hall to educational success it has been named three times in the top 100 most-improved schools nationally Mr King was also called in to help at another of the borough's senior schools, Ockendon, which at the time was in special measures.

Ockendon, under the headship of Barbara King, is now out of special measures and seen as one of the borough's most progressive schools.

Recently staff unrest has made the headlines at William Edwards, where current head, Brenda Watson, announced her resignation earlier this year.

Craig Robinson, chair of governors at the Stifford Clays Road, Grays, school, said: "Governors have expressed their sincere thanks for the contribution that Brenda Watson has made to the school, particularly in raising student achievement and gaining Sports College and Training School status. We wish her the very best for the future."

Mr Robinson added: "The Governing Body agreed with a recommendation from Thurrock Council's Corp-orate Director of Children, Education and Families, Steve Beynon, to appoint an experienced headteacher with a proven track record in a school with a similar context to William Edwards."

He added: "We are very pleased to announce that we have been able to appoint John King OBE, the highly successful head of Gable Hall. We are extremely fortunate to have secured such an experienced and accomplished headteacher."

And Mr King said: "William Edwards is a school with tremendous potential and this appointment creates a golden opportunity for both Gable Hall and William Edwards to drive education standards in Thurrock.

"Both staffs, working together with the pupils, will take both schools to the next stage in their development."

Over the rest of this term and the summer, Mr King will work with Ms Watson and the William Edwards staff, before taking up the post formally in September. He will be based at William Edwards.