The head teacher of Salendine Nook High School is to retire next year after spending more than 27 years at the school.

Christine Spencer was appointed deputy head in 1989 while Jeff Dakers was head teacher. He had been there for 21 years and died last year.

The school has a tradition of head teachers staying for decades with no more than a handful being appointed since it opened its doors in the mid-1950s. Mrs Mrs Spencer will leave on August 31, 2017, and the governors are already looking for a replacement.

Mrs Spencer, a mother-of-one, said she was delighted with the progress the school had made in recent years under her leadership.

She said: “I have been very fortunate. This school has always attracted high calibre staff who tend to leave for only two reasons, retirement or promotion.

“I have been lucky to have had dedicated colleagues. Everyone here goes the extra mile for the children.

Salendine Nook High School, Huddersfield.

“I feel like I am leaving when we are at an all time high. We have had a superb Ofsted report and everything is in a good shape. There will be no shortage of candidates for my position.”

Ofsted lead inspector Andrew Swallow who wrote the report in February said: “Since the previous inspection, the head teacher has effectively driven improvements in the quality of teaching.

“As a result, pupils are now making good progress in most subjects. The head teacher and other school leaders have driven forward many improvements since the previous inspection.

“The head teacher has also tightened appraisal systems, and these have an increasingly sharper focus on improving teachers’ expertise and raising standards of achievement. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes have improved and are now good.”

Mrs Spencer, who is from London originally, has spent most of her life teaching though she did flirt with a career in accountancy early on which led to her rubbing shoulders with various up and coming pop stars including The Bay City Rollers and Paul McCartney.

Double act: Paul McCartney and John Lennon at the ABC Cinema
Double act: Paul McCartney and John Lennon at the ABC Cinema

She said: “I worked for EMI as a trainee accountant but I found it boring though I did do Paul McCartney’s royalties.”

Her first teaching job was at a school in Harrow. She said: “I got quickly promoted and went to an inner city Manchester school where I was a senior member of staff in charge of the lower school. After five years I left and came here. I’ve been career driven from day one.”

Asked what she will do in retirement she said: “I’m not a domestic goddess-type. I want to do a lot more travelling, some consultancy work and just look forward to enjoying life. I don’t think the general public appreciates how much you do, dealing with so many people, budgets and all the bureaucracy.”