Headteacher Gill Price was given a memorable send off from Weaver Primary School in Nantwich after 19 years at the helm.
After being whisked off first thing in an open top sports car for ‘a coffee’ by a colleague, she returned to cheering children lining Western Avenue.
A day of surprises followed with a special assembly and tributes to the long-serving head who has achieved great things for the school.
Gill, who hails originally from Derbyshire, was showered with flowers, gifts and cards including a voucher to buy an oak bench for her treasured garden to watch wildlife.
The 60-year-old’s first teaching job was in Aldershot after studying for a BEd hons in English at Bishop Grosseteste College in Lincoln.
That was followed by an eight-year stint at Godalming Junior School before returning North in 2000 to work as deputy headteacher in Helsby and then a secondment to a village school in Alvanley.
She found her ‘happy home’ at Weaver Primary School in 2006 where parents and governors paid tribute to her leadership and dedication.
A spokesman said: “Gill has taken great pride in serving the pupils, families and wider community connected with the Weaver.
“With over half of her professional career dedicated to the school, her desire to provide the very best education and life chances for pupils from all corners of the community is an enduring legacy.
“One of her greatest achievements came back in 2020 when Gill was credited by parents and governors of the school for ‘steering a steady shipʼ throughout two Covid lockdowns in what was an unprecedented time of turbulence for education, school processes and lost learning.
“Several initiatives were put in place at Weaver, both during and after the pandemic, to support more vulnerable children with a route to access learning and offer wellbeing support. This important work continues today.”
Helping children to thrive and ease pressure on their daily school lives has been key to creating an environment which OFSTED inspectors described as a ‘welcoming place where children are happy and keen to learn’ at their last inspection.
That commitment to wellbeing extended to the school boycotting the SATS Year 6 assessments in 2010 making a controversial stand against the pressure of the then statutory tests deemed necessary by government.
Another milestone came in 2018 when there was a complete remodelling of the school to accommodate its growing numbers.
Last year there was official recognition from the Minister for Schools for Outstanding Year 1 phonics results placing Weaver in the top one percent of all UK primaries.
Gill said: “Looking back, I was always destined to become a teacher.
“I started helping my mum run a Sunday school at about the age of nine and would cut out pictures and help other children, often singing with them and playing games.
“I loved it and to be honest, it was the only other career I wanted. I’ve moved around but it is the Weaver where I have been at my happiest.”
Now Gill, a keen gardener, is looking forward to more time travelling with her Robert husband in their camper van.
But she’s keeping her hand in education as co-chair of the East Cheshire Association of Primary Headteachers where she is passionate about supporting the mental health and wellbeing of headteachers.
She added: “It’s been a privilege to work with a wonderful school community of pupils, parents, governors and with a brilliant, hardworking and committed staff.
“Working alongside such consummate professionals has been the highlight of my career and I can honestly say that coming to work each day with the Weaver team and with wonderful pupils has been a pleasure and a privilege.”
The school, which has 211 children on its books, bid a fond farewell with pupils, past and present, friends and colleagues sending their best wishes.
On an emotional last day, Gill said she was leaving her headship role “happy, fulfilled, proud and optimistic for a very bright future for the Weaver.”
Good Luck Gill, Happy Retirement