THE hunt is on for a headteacher to help launch Blackburn's new £2.5million super-primary school.

Two Church of England primary schools -- St Andrew's and St Bartholemew's, both in the Ewood area of Blackburn -- will merge from September and take 400 pupils.

The merger will solve a school places crisis which was threatening to erupt in the area after hundreds of new houses were built in the Fernhurst Farm area, off Bolton Road in Ewood.

The new school will be located on the estate.

No name for the new school has been selected yet. Interviews for the headteacher's post, which carries a salary of up to £55,000, will take place on June 13.

As a church school, the headteacher will be expected to develop a caring ethos within the school, according to the advert on Blackburn with Darwen Council's website.

The headteachers of the two existing schools have taken up new posts elsewhere.

Other options for sorting out the school place shortage included simply extending the two schools, or closing one and building a new one.

But the only way money for extra school places could be got from the Department for Education was to open a new school.

The school will also provide pupils in the area with their own sports facilities for the first time.

St Andrew's school pitch is so poor it was only usable for two weeks last year, while St Bartholomew's relies on facilities at Blackburn Rovers.

A report to Blackburn with Darwen's executive board said: "Building a new school to replace the other two was seen as the best option because St Bartholomew's site does not have the space to expand. It is bounded by Rovers and the A666.

"St Andrew's is unlikely to be viable in the long term as parents choose to send their children elsewhere. Less than 10 applications were received for 30 reception class places for 2002."

The two outdated schools would be knocked down and the land, owned by Blackburn Diocese, would probably be put up for sale.