THERE was not one but two shock announcements last term, one being Mr North’s resignation and the other the retirement of Vicki Blake, our longest serving and greatly respected deputy head.

Although it was difficult to pin Mrs Blake down, due to her intensely busy schedule, we eventually managed to corner her on her last day and persuaded her to reflect on her 26 years teaching at Wolverley. She was at pains to emphasise that the success of her long, rewarding and happy career was largely due to all the wonderful staff, students and parents with whom she had come into contact during her time here.

In 1988 Mrs Eagles, as she was then, started teaching at Wolverley High School as a temporary teacher of home economics. She also helped with many after school activities, including the drama productions and enjoyed making costumes for the Shakespeare plays, including a memorable performance of Romeo and Juliet in 2001, which the then head of English decided to let the students ‘ad lib’ – i.e. to perform without a script. “It ended up being quite shambolic,” laughed Mrs Blake, “as the students literally made it up as they went along! It was definitely more of a farce than a tragedy – but the audience loved it!” By 1994, Mrs Blake had been made head of lower school, which meant year nine and transition, and she started to forge close links with the then middle schools. “I loved meeting the staff and parents of the younger children, as well as the pupils themselves,” she said. “I felt it gave me a real insight into the students even before they came up to what they always called ‘Big School’. This knowledge enabled me to ensure their transition was as smooth as possible.”

Behaviour management is a large part of every teacher’s job and Mrs Blake undertook a masters degree in education management with the focus on child behaviour management. Despite the pressures of looking after her family, overseeing a house renovation and, of course, full time teaching, she successfully completed the course in 1999.

Further promotions followed and Mrs Blake joined numerous working parties, making many new useful contacts within the outside agencies. “I also worked closely with our then parent/teachers association and other teacher groups, and spent a lot of time working with our local special schools,” she said. Throughout Mrs Blake’s years at Wolverley, the school has encountered the threat of closure on quite a few occasions. “There have been changes to parental choices, uncertainties in the middle schools and, of course, problems with transport companies – all of which have, at one time or another, had a significant effect on the numbers of students and the profile of the school. But we have always successfully fought our corner.”

The 2007 re-organisation also brought about many changes, as referred to by Mr North in the article on page 3. “However, the profile and ethos of the school has not changed,” insisted Mrs Blake. “Wolverley remains caring, inclusive and ambitious for each child in our care. Despite all the odds – especially in those first years of the re-organisation – we continue to achieve good exam results and this is a testament to the dedication of our staff and the positive attitude to learning of our students.”

Typically, Mrs Blake was anxious to downplay her own part in Wolverley’s success but the many accolades paid to her by staff and students – both past and present – tell their own story. When the news broke about her retirement, the school was inundated with phone calls and emails from people wishing to express their profound gratitude for Mrs Blake’s hard work and uncompromising pursuit of excellence. With her usual modesty, she let it be known that she did not want a big farewell ‘do’ or even a gift. Instead, she was rewarded with a massive pile of letters and notes, all paying tribute to her hard work, her willingness to do battle for the good of the students and her sense of humour.

However, we will allow Mrs Blake herself to have the last word. “I would like to convey my heartfelt thanks to all those – staff, students, parents – who have contributed to the happiness I have experienced over the years. As I move on to the next phase in my life I will take with me many memories of the thousands of students, colleagues and parents I have worked with.” And she will certainly leave all of us at WCESS with plenty of equally wonderful memories. Mrs Blake will be missed.