The end of term last week marked the end of an era at Fearnhill School in Letchworth as Liz Ellis, who has been headteacher for the last eight years, is retiring.

Her final term as headteacher came to an end on Friday, July 21, and she told the Comet that it has been "a huge privilege" to lead the school since 2015.

"It is an ambitious school with a huge sense of community and belonging, high academic standards and a bright future."

Her replacement will be Tim Spencer, who is currently deputy headteacher.

Liz said: “I have had the opportunity to work with some remarkable professionals over the years and I am confident it will continue to grow and thrive under Tim’s leadership.

“The school’s response to the pandemic in particular was amazing. People pulled together and supported each other, taking time to listen and take care of the whole community.

"Of course, another great moment was our Ofsted inspection last September, where the inspectors saw the results of all our work as the ‘Fearnhill Family’, commenting on it in the final report.

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“The school is ready and set for the next challenge.”

Tim has been at Fearnhill for four years already, and told us that he is "delighted" to be succeeding Liz as headteacher.

He said: "I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the school and I am looking forward to leading the school on the next stage of its improvement journey.”

Nye Hathway, chair of governors, added: “I wish to express my sadness at Liz’s leaving but she has provided us with an exceptional successor in Tim Spencer.

"Like all great leaders she has left us with leaders not followers among the staff and among students too."