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Peel head teacher to retire in the summer
NEW CHALLENGES: Peel Clothworkers head teacher Simon Jones
PEEL Clothworkers’ School head teacher Simon Jones will retire next summer after 31 years in teaching, 23 of them as a head teacher.
In retirement, his ‘learning plan’ includes acquiring at least one new skill a year ‘to add to my meagre collection’.
A Liverpudlian, Mr Jones trained as a teacher in Ambleside in the 1970s. After two years as an ambulance man with Lincolnshire Health Authority, he entered teaching there.
His first significant promotion was to the Liverpool school he attended as a child. Three former teachers became colleagues: ‘It took me half a term to stop calling them “Sir” or “Mrs Anderson”.’
In 1990, Mr Jones was appointed to his first headship, in Lincolnshire, where his children Sarah and Philip grew up and were educated. This rural school remained the centre of his professional life for 15 years.
Mr Jones was then appointed as a consultant head teacher by the English education department, supporting schools and new heads in Lincolnshire. At this time he completed his masters degree in primary school leadership and management.
The headship at Victoria Road School in Castletown appealed and Mr Jones relocated in 2005. He took on the additional role of Leadership and Management Programme leader, training up the primary school managers of the future.
The bigger Peel Clothworkers’ offered new challenges and he became head in 2009.
Highlights include working with the Parents, Teachers and Friends’ Association to create an adventure playground and a library, accompanying children on the annual visit to Kingswood Adventure Centre in England, continuing to teach regularly, and running the school with colleagues he describes as ‘amongst the best I have worked with’.
‘Over the years, I have taught and/or influenced about 4,000 children – with only a few exceptions delightful individuals. This has been a pleasure and a privilege,’ he said.
He plans to go surfing, take up yoga and write poetry. In 2013 he will climb Kilimanjaro and, the following year, will walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats with an old school friend, raising money for Oxfam.
Professionally, he is setting up as a freelance educational consultant and will offer his services both here and abroad: ‘I have a few more years before reaching my sell-by date.’
Director of education Martin Barrow said: ‘Mr Jones has contributed significantly to the development of the two schools he has been head teacher of on the island and has played a key role in leading the Leadership and Management Programme for primary teachers.
‘The department wishes him every success for the new venture he has planned as well as for a long, healthy and happy retirement.’
The DEC will advertise for Mr Jones’ successor shortly.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Monday 20 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
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Temperature: 7 C to 13 C
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