A CATHOLIC primary school which has spent a year searching for a new headteacher is being forced to look at non-religious candidates.

St Amand’s Primary School, East Hendred, has placed national adverts for a new head.

But it has failed to attract a single applicant who was a practising Catholic, a standard requirement for Roman Catholic schools.

Now governors have agreed to invite applications from candidates who do not meet the faith criteria.

Vice-chairman of governors Eileen McKeever said: “As a Catholic school, naturally enough the leader of the school should be a practising Catholic, but we have not had any applicants who are practising Catholics.

“It is difficult to find headteachers at the moment anyway, so if you add that to the equation that makes it another constraint and the pool becomes even narrower.”

The former headteacher, John Laverty, who retired last summer, had been at the school for 29 years and had seen all six of his sons educated at the primary.

Helen Clark has been appointed as acting headteacher until January 2011, but the governing body is hoping now the restrictions have been lifted a suitable long-term candidate will be found.

Mrs McKeever stressed the decision had not been taken lightly.

She said: “It is over a year since we first advertised and we have looked at all the options and tried our best to find a practising Catholic.

“We believe we can still maintain our strong Catholic ethos with other Catholic teachers in the school, and support from the parish and the diocese, with a good strong leader who will support that ethos.

“It’s a lovely school in a good location in the country and we are hoping we will now find somebody.”

She said the decision by governors had been unanimous.

Chairman of governors Sarah McCarthy said: “I am confident that we will now find someone. If we have a wider pool, we may be able to pull in a couple of Catholics who may not have seen the ad previously, or you could have someone who is a regular churchgoing Catholic but who is not in full communion with the church for whatever reason who could now apply.”

She added: “We need the right person for our school, we are not just going to take somebody just because they are a ‘proper’ Catholic.”

School chaplain Fr David O’Sullivan is set to play a key role in keeping the school’s Catholic focus.

He already visits the school weekly to take services, but will now do one or two additional masses a term, to which the wider community will be invited.

A qualified teacher, Fr David has offered support to some of the religious education classes.

Spokesman for the Department of Education, Charlotte Redman, said faith schools were not bound to employ staff according to religion.