A POPULAR PE teacher has waltzed out of Bartholomew School in Eynsham after 32 years of running sports events for pupils.

Terry Pearce, 58, joined the school in 1979, intending only to stay a couple of years.

But he said the time was now right to leave, although he said he would miss the pupils.

Throughout out his time at the school, he has taught school leavers traditional dances for their end-of year dinner dance.

To mark his retirement, Students organising Olympic legacy events in the school persuaded Mr Pearce to share his ballroom skills with every pupil in the school, in an open-air dancing lesson.

Mr Pearce said: “I have loved every minute of my time here, and I still do, but I feel the time is right to leave.

“I will miss the kids.

“It sounds corny, but it’s true: I come to school to be with the kids every day.”

He added: “I had trained in Oxfordshire and wanted to stay in the area, but when I arrived here I only meant to stay two or three years.”

Over the years, Mr Pearce has run the school’s rugby, basketball and cricket teams, as well his first love: football.

The school’s traditional dinner dances date back 47 years, and he has taught dance routines including the Gay Gordons and the St Bernard’s Waltz to Year 11 students since he arrived at the school.

Students planning events to celebrate next year’s Olympics put on the whole school dance event to co-incide with Mr Pearce’s retirement.

Fellow PE teacher Tracey Edmunds said: “It is old fashioned, but they love doing it, and all wanted to do it for him, so they thought they would teach the dances to the whole school and former pupils who had been taught by Mr Pearce.

“He is absolutely adored, and adores the kids. He works so hard, and always goes beyond the call of duty to help out.

“He is going to be sorely missed.”

Mr Pearce, whose wife Anne is the head of Woodeaton Manor School, said he hoped to go travelling in South Africa and Canada during his retirement, as well as looking after his beloved Great Dane dogs.