A former player for Welton Rovers, who also played at Paulton and for Frome Town FC, will be co-head of a new specialist school due to open in September.

Gareth Wright who also hosts a local sports radio show on FromeFM, is taking over as joint head of a new specialist school opening locally.

Abbot's Way School will be helping children with learning differences and is set to open in Meare, but is open to children from further afield. It has capacity for up to 40 students, between the ages of eight and 14 years old, and it will focus on supporting pupils with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia when its doors officially open in September subject to approval from the Department of Education.

It is the second specialist school looking to open in the area along with the Levels School, which will be based in Ashcott.

The planned openings follow the sudden closure at the end of March of the specialist Shapwick School.

Co-founders and joint heads of Abbot's Way School, Gareth Wright and Hellen Lush, both previously worked at Shapwick.

They said: "We bring more than 40 years of experience working with children with learning differences that bring so many exceptional strengths.

"Our focus is building the most unique, nurturing and cross curricular provision, that enables children to explore, discover and thrive.

"Crucially, we have worked together for a number of years, so we passionately share the same vision and ethos for specialist education and learning with a difference."

Named after the ancient track residing near the school's grounds, Abbot's Way School is set in a Georgian house with grounds, within Meare.

Gareth and Hellen said: "We are a small school, but we're aiming to make a big difference for children with student led learning, which will be skills based and educationally innovative.

"Dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia are surprisingly common, yet surprisingly misunderstood learning differences.

"Many of us will relate to having experienced symptoms of them as children without recognition, support or focus.

"Abbot's Way School is an outside-of-the-box school, and we are committed to enabling children to fulfil their own academic and pastoral potential."