A RIBBLE Valley head teacher who has been at the same school for the last 27 years is set to step down at the end of the summer term.

Robert Maude, who joined Chatburn CE Primary School in September 1988, is to take a step back from the profession he has been a part of since 1978.

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The father-of-two is to be replaced at the village school by Emma Gardiner, who is currently deputy head teacher at St Paul’s CE Primary School in Oswaldtwistle.

Starting out in Redcar near Middlesbrough in the late 1970s, Mr Maude moved to Brunshaw Primary School in Burnley before taking up a position as deputy head teacher in Gisburn.

He stayed at the school for three years prior to moving to Chatburn. Mr Maude, who lives with his wife Kay in Thornton-in-Craven, said that the use of ICT in the classroom has been one of the biggest changes over his time in the Ribble Valley.

He also said that a “constant” change on education policies by successive governments have caused a series of problems for teachers in England.

The 59-year-old said: “I will really miss the school but this is the right time for me to retire.

“I’m looking forward to doing some travelling with my wife, watching football, cycling and gardening.

“I wanted a smooth transition so I gave the governors a lot of time to find my replacement.

“I think that the future is very bright for the school.

“The increased use of ICT and computers in teaching has been a huge change over my career and it has gone from blackboards to everything being interactive.

“Also the changing education policies from every government has caused a lot of work for teachers over the years, which has not always been positive.

“The government should trust the teachers a lot more because every change draws them away from their main task of teaching children.”

Cllr Paul Whittaker, who is a member of Chatburn Parish Council and one of the school’s governors, said: “Mr Maude has done a very good job at the school and he will be missed.

“We have a good new head teacher to start in the new school year who we think will do a very good job.

“The school was rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted a few years ago and it has a very good staff.”