The recently appointed headteacher of a new Catholic school in Oxford has called on people of all faiths to support the fledgling school.

Kathleen Keefe starts this month as the first headteacher of the St Gregory the Great Catholic School, which will open in September next year, as part of the reorganisation of the city's education system.

Uncertainty remains over the school's future site, though it will initially be located in two locations -- on the sites of the Cardinal Newman Catholic School, in Cricket Road, and the St Augustine of Canterbury RC/CofE School, in Iffley Turn.

Mrs Keefe, who was previously the assistant director of the national Catholic Education Agency, said the school's foundation had upset some people, but called on all members of the community to support her.

Mrs Keefe, who has more than 25 years of teaching experience -- including nine years as a secondary school head in London and Dorset -- took up her post last week.

The decision by Oxfordshire County Council's school organisation committee to build a new Catholic school upset some Anglicans. Catholic representatives rejected the idea of forming a new joint-denomination Catholic-Anglican school.

Mrs Keefe said: "I recognize the pain that the birth of the school has brought to many, but I hope all in the communities of Oxford and Oxfordshire will support me in looking to the future."

She added: "I'm pleased to be appointed to serve in this challenging position, and I'm looking forward to working with St Gregory's governing body and the headteachers, governing bodies and staff of both St Augustine's and Cardinal Newman Schools.

"I hope my appointment will enable all to look to the future and to ensure the gifts and expertise of the present staffs are harnessed."

Chris Bevan, a governor of the new school, said: "Different communities wanted different things, and there had to be a compromise. Some people have felt pain in not getting what they wanted. But it's important everyone in the community comes together to support it.

"The school is there primarily to support the Catholic community in Oxford and south Oxfordshire, but it is part of the wider community."