A HEADTEACHER has retired after 20 years of leadership.
Andrew Firman, headteacher at Queen’s Park High School, Chester said: “Being head of a school is the best job in the world.
“It has been an exciting and rewarding journey and I am proud of what we have achieved together – it has been a real team effort.”
The school was classed as good after its last Ofsted inspection.
Mr Firman added: “The school is in very good shape and I have every confidence in the staff to take the school on its next journey from good to outstanding – a journey we have already begun.”
Mr Firman, originally from Norwich, graduated in biochemistry at Trinity College, Cambridge, and after a year in Ghana on voluntary service, trained to be a teacher. He took up the headship at Queen’s Park in 1989.
The school has gained a number of awards this year, including ArtsMark Gold, International School Award, Inclusion Quality Mark and Investors in People. It also reached the final shortlist of six last month in the Times Educational Supplement Secondary School of the Year Award.
Queen’s Park High opened as a comprehensive in 1971 in the buildings of the former City High School for Girls and the City and County Grammar School for Boys. Over the course of Mr Firman’s tenure the buildings have been linked together and more than £3 million invested to make the facilities fit for the 21st century. Last year the Duke of Westminster opened the school’s Library Learning Centre with its state of the art computer facilities.
Mr Firman and his wife Gill, who retired from her teaching post at the University of Chester last autumn, are looking forward to a visit to China in September.
