HEADTEACHER Duncan Spence took his last assemblies this week.

The Wychwood Primary School head is retiring aged 58 after eight years at the west Oxfordshire village school – and 34 in the profession.

Mr Spence, who is married with two adult children, is planning to take a break from work before deciding on his next move, but hopes to return to education in some role.

He said: “I have very mixed emotions about leaving, because I’m going to miss the school, the children, parents and staff very much but I’m ready for a new challenge and a new phase in my life.

“I have really enjoyed working with everyone and we have made a lot of changes in the past eight years, with the school moving forward and growing in size, and lots of building work and extensions.”

Before taking over the school, in Milton Road, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Mr Spence was head at North Hinksey Primary School in Oxford for seven years, and deputy head at St Mary’s Primary in Bicester before that.

He also worked at a middle school and a first school in Cowley which no longer exist following school reorganisations.

Staff, governors and former colleagues joined Mr Spence and his family at a celebration last Friday, when he was presented with a 3D picture/ sculpture from a local artist, and some garden tokens.

Mr Spence, who lives in North Leigh, neat Witney, said he would miss the variety of his job more than anything.

He said: “I don’t have a class commitment but work with children as much as I can.

“That’s what I will miss the most, the variety of working with children aged from four to 11, because you never know from one day to the next what it will bring.

“Generally, it’s a lot of pleasure and happiness.

“I have enjoyed pretty well every minute of it.”

Mike Edwards, a consultant teacher from Berkshire, will serve as acting headteacher until the end of the year, with Lindsay Daulton, currently head at Enstone Primary School, taking over permanently next January.