Headteacher says farewell to Rose Green Infant School

RETIRING head teacher Susanne Carter told her Rose Green Infant School pupils: 'I saved the best to last'.

Mrs Carter is leaving the school after 37 years as a teacher. The final seven-and-a-half years of that lengthy career were spent at the infant school.

She has presented the school with a metallic sculpture of a goose to be placed in the sensory garden which she took great delight in creating recently in its grounds.

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"I leave Rose Green with many happy memories," she said. "The school has continued to be held in high regard with several very successful Ofsteds in recent years.

"This school has a combination of excellent staff, the children are delightful, the parents are very supportive and it has an effective governing body. It all adds up to make it a very special place."

Her final days at the infant school saw a party held there in her honour at which she was serenaded with her love of shoes getting a special mention at the event.

Mrs Carter trained as a teacher between 1970-1973 at Lady Spencer Churchill College at Oxford. Her first teaching post was in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

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She next worked in Brighton and began to achieve promotions. She moved to West Sussex in 1994 as the headteacher of an infant school in Crawley before she switched to Rose Green.

Her time in education has seen trends come and go and return again but one major difference is the amount of responsibility heads now have for their school for matters such as staffing and maintenance.

Mrs Carter's departure from the Hawkins Close school of 270 pupils, 13 teachers and 24 supporting staff has also attracted praise from David Sword, the county council's director operations learning.

He told her: "Your work in shaping the creative and exciting curriculum has inspired children and teachers and meant learning in Rose Green Infants is considered to be fun.

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"Your good leadership will long be remembered and the beautiful school grounds which you have developed will be a reminder of what you have achieved."

Mrs Carter, 59, of Storrington, will spend two days a week from September as a consultant head teacher and co-ordinator to the Felpham and Bognor Regis group of schools.

She will also support her husband in his health-and-safety business and hopes to pick up some of her hobbies again.

Before that, however, she will be celebrating her retirement with a special holiday travelling through the Canadian Rockies and a cruise to the Alaskan Fjords and the national park.

Her successor is Jane Holloway.

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