A teacher who has served as head of a Powys primary school for nearly a decade will be retiring at the end of the school year.

Mr Lyn Harte, headteacher at Leighton Primary School, will be stepping away from the role he has worked in for nine years at the end of this summer term on July 22.

He first took on the role in 2015 after serving as the assistant head at another Powys school in Newtown and has said that the near decade he’s spent as head of Leighton has “flown by”.

Having announced his retirement in February 2024, Mr Harte described the decision as “difficult” but added at the time that he felt it was “the right time” for him.

He said: “I was appointed headteacher at Leighton Community Primary School in 2015, following time as the Head of a private school, and previously assistant head at Newtown High School. 

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“The nine years here have really flown by, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing the school move forward, from initially being part of the Welshpool Transformation Programme. 

“For me, the best thing about my time here has been the strength of relationships that I’ve had with our children and their parents/carers, and the building of trust that can really flourish in a school that’s not too big, but not too small either. 

“At the start of my time here we made a decision that wellbeing was our priority. This helped us maintain a real sense of school community throughout the lockdown periods. I actually think that as a school we got even stronger together when faced with that challenge.

“It’s been a great nine years and I’ve so many memories that I’ll take with me, but above all, it’s the children and our day to day laughs that I’ll miss the most.

“I’d like to thank all our parents and children, past and present, for putting up with me all these years, and I apologise if any are disappointed that so many children at Leighton support Liverpool now.

“All the best too to our new headteacher Lindsay Clarke. If Lindsay has only half the fun I’ve had she’ll love her time here too.”

Lindsay Clarke will start her first term as headteacher of Leighton Primary School in September 2024.