A new Ipswich school that will provide 60 places for young students with social, emotional and mental health needs is to be named after Sir Bobby Robson.

The Unity Schools Partnership, who will run the new school in Lindbergh Road, launched a naming consultation with community leaders and local parents throughout March and April.

The ‘Sir Bobby Robson School’ option came out as the preferred choice with the Robson family describing the decision as a “honour and a privilege”.

The new school will open in September 2020 with the recruitment for a new headteacher launched this week.

Tim Coulson, chief executive of the Unity Schools Partnership, said: “Following a thorough consultation process, we are delighted and humbled to be able to name our new school after Sir Bobby Robson.

“Sir Bobby’s name resonates across Ipswich and across the world of football and charity and stands for facing triumph and adversity with the same passion and enthusiasm.

“Starting with our Ofsted-Outstanding Churchill Academy in Haverhill, one of the priorities for our trust is to provide a hub of schools for youngsters with social, emotional and mental health needs – alongside our hub of secondary and primary schools.

“We now look forward to starting our recruitment campaign for the very first headteacher of the Sir Bobby Robson School.”

Plans for the new school, which will cater for children aged between eight and 16, were approved earlier this year.

Sir Bobby’s son, Mark Robson, said: “Ipswich will always have a special place in the hearts of our family and it's an honour and a privilege to have a new school named after Dad here.

"I'm sure Dad would be as pleased as we all are to have his name associated with such an important educational facility.”

Sir Bobby Robson led Ipswich Town to FA Cup and UEFA Cup glory and now has a statue in his honour outside Portman Road, along with a stand named after him.

He went on to manage England to a World Cup semi-final before taking charge at the likes of PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona and his beloved Newcastle United.

In 2008, he launched the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation to help find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer.

More than £13 million has been raised to support the work of the charity, which includes the trials of new drugs at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre in Newcastle.

To find out more about the headteacher vacancy, please visit https://unitysp-careers.co.uk/ or to find out more about the new school, please visit http://www.sirbobbyrobsonschool.co.uk/.