Headteacher of Newark Orchard School on London Road, Balderton retires

A headteacher said goodbye to a school with both a heavy and excited heart after 25 years of teaching.

Margot Tyers, of Edwinstowe, has worked at Orchard’s Primary School, Newark for the last 25 years and an additional five years at King Edwin Primary School.

Her path at the school involved becoming a teacher in January 2000 and a headteacher in September 2009. She felt ready to retire this year.

She started teaching in a mainstream primary school, however, working with children with additional needs “fired up” her passion for working with special needs.

“I have always been motivated by getting it right for the students, they are the reason that we are here and getting them to be the best adults that they can possibly be during their time here to reach that goal is what is important,” said Margot.

For 10 years of her career as a headteacher, Margot fought for the school to move into a new building as the former one in Appletongate, Newark was not fit for purpose.

After years of fighting, the school moved into a state-of-the-art building on London Road, Balderton, which initiated a new chapter for the school.

She said: “When we actually moved here it was a massive bonus because the building is incredible and it made such a difference to be able to provide for the students, and for stuff is also a beautiful place to work.

“Having that environment around you makes all the difference, we grew from about 88 pupils and we are up to 170 now.”

Margot has a daughter who was diagnosed with autism when she was a child, which she believes gave her a more personal understanding of what it is like being a parent of a child with additional needs and helped her to offer support to parents.

“Being a teacher and a headteacher is not just a job, you never stop thinking about it.

“It’s part of your life and it’s not something that you walk out the door and leave behind, it is part of your life.

“Seeing the students develop while they are here is the biggest reward that you can get, to see them leaving us to one day be adults, going into the world, teaching is the most rewarding job.

“It is a very emotional day [her last day] because I have been here a long time and saying goodbye to the staff and children is hard.

“But I am excited because it is going to be very different and it is something I will have to get used to, so when my alarm doesn’t have to go off on September 2, I think that is when I will realise I am not working anymore.”