Uffington Primary School headteacher Helen Simms retires after 23 years

An old adage claims you should never work with children or animals but a retiring headteacher has fond memories of both after 23 years in the job.

Children were obviously part and parcel of the role when Helen Simms joined Uffington Primary School but rescuing an adder from the classroom and herding escaped geese back to their farm never featured on the job description.

Yet it’s moments like those that Helen will treasure when she leaves school for the final time today (Friday, July 19) following a celebration service at the village church last week.

She said: “I’ll miss the children and their families, my fantastic staff and all the fun we have.

“There’s a really strong sense of family and community here. I have had some fantastic highs and some hard times as well but I’ve always loved working with children and I’ve never regretted my choices.”

Helen’s teaching career began in 1988 when she joined Bourne Abbey Primary School. In 2000 she was shown an advert for the headteacher’s role at Uffington and decided to apply. It was a big change moving to a village school with fewer pupils in total than in just one year group in Bourne.

Helen has always thrown herself into every aspect of school life, becoming a “jack of all trades” whether it be teaching, unblocking drains or cleaning the toilets.

“Everyone here has a strong sense of purpose. We all want to give the children the best education that we can. They only get one chance and we’re committed to making their experiences with us the best they can be,” she said.

Uffington Primary School has 90 pupils who are split between four classes. In 2008 the school was rated as outstanding by Ofsted, which Helen cites as one of her professional highlights. In 2020 it was rated as good.

She has overseen a number of national celebrations including Queen Elizabeth II’s golden and platinum jubilees and the coronation of King Charles III following her death. Helen also led her school through the challenges of the pandemic.

Helen won’t be leaving education behind completely as she plans to work as a church schools inspector. She is also looking forward to spending more time with her husband Terry and their 13-year-old daughter Olivia at their home in Market Deeping and pursuing her hobbies of cooking, gardening and travel.

Andrew Evans, who currently works at Corby Primary Academy, will take over the role of headteacher in September.