Horsham teacher to retire after 26 years at the same school

Sarah Whiting has taught various year groups at St Mary’s C of E Primary since first joining the school in 1995.

She said: “I came to do a morning every week then tumbled into supply then tumbled into a full time job in 2001.

Sarah, 61, added that she reached retirement age last summer but that it didn’t feel right to leave while school was still hugely disrupted by coronavirus.

She said: “It just wouldn’t have been a nice time to walk away from it. We’re all back in school [now]. It just felt right for me personally with everything that’s just gone on.

“It just felt the right time [to leave]. I shall be hugely sad to leave but [I have] a lot of very happy memories to take with me.”

Sarah, who lives in Horsham also taught at Loxwood Primary School and Broadfield Primary in Crawley before joining St Mary’s.

She added: “It’s been a privilege. Teaching is a privilege and it has been a privilege to see so many children go through school.”

Sarah said one of her proudest memories was when she planned and pulled off a church service which saw children at the school stand around the edge of the inside of St Mary’s Church in the Causeway singing We Are the World.

She added: “[It was] one thing I had always wanted to do. I had always wanted to have all the children around the inside of the church singing.

“All the parents were crying and stood up. It was one of those goose pimple moments. It was just special.”

Sarah said she had so many happy memories at the school.

And she paid tribute to her ‘phenomenal’ colleagues who have supported her during her tenure.

In a message to them Sarah added: “Thank you for being you.”

After retiring, Sarah said she will have her grandchildren one day a week.

She added: “My daughter is expecting a baby in November so I shall be very busy with that as well.”

Sarah said she hopes to visit family in Wales, where she is originally from, as well as travel more and catch up on jobs which have been on her list for a while.

Sarah Whiting’s last day at St Mary’s is on Friday, July 23.