WHEN Helen Salih left Weston-on-Trent C of E Primary School yesterday, she was able to look back on 15 highly successful years in charge.
In the intervening years, she has seen the school move into new premises and grow from 49 to 114 pupils currently.
She said: "It has been a wonderful time at the school and our recent 'outstanding' inspection was the icing on the cake for me and everyone at the school.
"But I feel the time has come to pass on the baton to someone else and at the same time I am entering a new phase in my life with a blank page awaiting me."
Some of that page will be filled with taking her grandson to and from school and also setting up a new education consultancy business called Parakleatos, where she will support other head teachers through the minefield of education bureaucracy.
Mrs Salih added: "It has been a privilege to know and work with everyone at Weston."
Also retiring are Stephen Whiteley, former head of Landau Forte College, and more recently chief executive of the Landau Forte Charitable Trust, with responsibility for the trust's six academies in Derby and the Tamworth area.
He was employed at Landau from 1992 and was principal from 1996 to 2009, when the role was taken over by Liz Coffey. Mr Whiteley's role will be taken up by Dr Anthony Edkins from Manchester Academy.
Carmel McKenna, head of St Clare's Special School in Mickleover, has also retired from teaching this week.
Under her leadership the school gained an "outstanding" Ofsted in 2013 following on from the same outcome in 2010.