THERE'S change on the horizon for Carinya Christian School.
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Record enrolments have allowed the school to expand its footprint across the region, paving the way for a new principal to come on board in Tamworth.
Current Tamworth principal and CEO David Jones will be stepping away from his principal duties after six years in the role, and serve solely as CEO across all campuses.
"It's primarily come about due to the growth of both the Tamworth and the Gunnedah schools," he said.
"Since starting, our Tamworth school has grown by close to 300 students and our Gunnedah school has grown from 68 enrolments to about 250 enrolments next year."
The new year will also mark a new era for the Gunnedah campus, with the former head of middle school, Alex Wharton, appointed principal, commencing in 2022.
"In Gunnedah, due to the growth there we're looking for quite a few staff. We're thrilled with the appointment of Alex Wharton," Mr Jones added.
"We're conducting interviews this weekend for a new head of middle school and we've got some good applications for that, so we're looking forward to making our appointment soon for that position."
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"In Gunnedah, just because it's grown so quickly, we're always looking for staff and at the moment across NSW there is a bit of a staffing shortage," Mr Jones said.
Mr Jones said between both campuses there are about 190 staff, so his new role will mean the school can "strategically manage the numbers of staff and students effectively for the future".
"I think the nature of the role as a principal has grown over the years. There's a lot more information related to compliance and assurance that we need to take care of," he added.
"We don't feel like we need to rush to making the change until we know we've got the right person for the job.
"With the new role I'll still be very involved in the Tamworth school, but I'll be able to provide the new principal in Gunnedah with support as well."
Tamworth is also farewelling long-time teacher Ellen Murdoch who is retiring after 14 years with Carinya and over 40 years of teaching.
"We are very grateful for Ellen and the work she's done for the school and we wish her the very best," Mr Jones said.
A third Carinya Christian School campus in Inverell is set to open in 2023, "depending on a few development application approvals".
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