dronfield EYE
Peter Wright who has retired after 21 years as headteacher at William Levick School, Dronfield Woodhouse
Peter’s heading into retirement Bidding a fond farewell to life in Dronfield after 21 years as headteacher at William Levick School is Peter Wright who retired this summer. Kat Withers talks to him about his career AFTER more than 21 years as headteacher at William Levick Primary School, Peter Wright has retired and although he’ll miss the children and fellow staff members, he is looking forward to pursuing some of his hobbies. The headship at Dronfield Woodhouse was Peter’s second, having been head of Woodthorpe C of E Primary School, Staveley, near Chesterfield. Peter, who has been teaching for 37 years, said: “Everywhere I have been I have enjoyed it and I have never regretted a moment of it. I shall miss school a lot and I have been privileged to work with such outstanding staff. I’ll miss the children and I’ll desperately miss my colleagues.” And Peter, who can’t praise his team at William Levick enough, added: “I always tried to do a good job by the staff as well as the children and had such a good team supporting me. It was a lovely team to work with. We’re all different but we worked together.” Starting his career in 1973 at Hasland Junior School, Chesterfield, teaching different age groups, Peter, of Temple Normanton, then moved to Clowne Junior School. Despite having been a head teacher from the age of 34, Peter continued to teach; giving assemblies most days and covering classes. Talking about the children, he added: “I have been very involved with the children on a day-to-day basis. Every day’s been different and I was never bored. Dronfield’s a lovely place to be and the families are lovely people.” Now Peter has some free time he is looking forward to walking with his wife Janet and also gardening. He is also very interested in local history and is planning a trip to visit his son, Ben, 28 in Bermuda. Following in her father’s footsteps, daughter Anna, 26, works in Hinkley as a secondary school PE teacher. On the highlight of his career, Peter said: “My proudest achievement is the ethos of this school. The number of people that come in for the first time and say it is a warm, friendly place. Our children are well looked after and happy and because they are happy they do well. It’s a place that people speak warmly of and that’s enough for me.”
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dronfield E Y E