Salford’s Broughton Jewish Cassel Fox primary is to lose its head-teacher and embark on a major shake-up of its leadership structure.

Dr Leon Bernstein, who has been at the school for four years, informed governors, in a letter sent on Tuesday, that he wished to “explore other opportunities”. He will stay in his role until a replacement is found, although expectations are for a changeover in December.

The school is to move away from a single head and appoint a principal who would be responsible for Jewish studies and would work with a separate head who will lead the school’s secular side — a structure formerly used.

Governors’ chair Dov Black said he wanted to thank Dr Bernstein for “great success” at Broughton and said the new leadership plans are due to a huge growth in the school’s intake.

“The school has grown to more than 450 pupils from when we had 275 around 10 years ago when we opted for one person to lead the school. We feel secular and kodesh departments should ideally have their own head.”

Broughton’s reception class began on Tuesday, with the school’s first three-form intake of more than 60 pupils. Classrooms had to be extended in the summer to accommodate the growth, thought due to an increase of Shabbat observant families in Manchester.

From August, the school became an academy, with extra government funding expected to make investment in expansion for a full three-form entry.