George Orwell School in Islington is to close next summer, before re-opening in September 1999 as a specialist school for the arts and media.

The first head of the new Islington Arts and Media School will be Torsten Friedag, a German-born former vice-principal of the BRIT (British Record Industry Trust) School for the performing arts in Croydon, Surrey.

Pupils at the new school should benefit from industry partnerships

Mr Friedag, currently headteacher of a secondary school in Sudbury, Suffolk, is believed to have been appointed on a salary in the region of £70,000.

He said the setting up of the new school was "one of the most exciting educational developments in the country".

The new school would offer "today's education for tomorrow's world", said Mr Friedag.

The 500 pupils to be taught in the new arts and media school will study the mainstream curriculum, but with an emphasis on preparing students for work in the media and entertainment industries.

Islington council is putting £1.3m into the replacement of George Orwell School with a specialist school, a change that follows the Education Secretary's approval of the new designation.

The borough's Chair of Education, Rupert Perry, said he hoped the school would "establish successful partnerships with the many new music, video, film and television companies that are moving into Islington and neighbouring boroughs".

'Rising to the challenge'

The emergence of 'super heads', rewarded for successful results, was endorsed by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in his party conference speech in October.

"There are too few good state schools, too much tolerance of mediocrity, too little pursuit of excellence," he said.

"If a headteacher rises to the challenge of turning round a failing school, why shouldn't they earn £60,000 to £70,000 a year?

"And equally, if they can't run the school properly, they shouldn't be running the school at all," Mr Blair told the Labour Party conference.