Submitting proposals for the £7.5 million revamp of Stanway School will be headteacher Ian Carrington's swansong - but a swansong it looks set to be.

After seven years as headteacher of the school in Winstree Road, Colchester, Mr Carrington is set to leave.

He has accepted a headship at Hadleigh High School, Suffolk, and will be starting there in January.

But he admitted giving up his first headship had not been an easy decision to make.

"It is with very mixed feelings," he said.

"I am very excited about my new post, but at the same time I have been here for seven years. The school has made huge progress in that time and is in a really strong position to move forward.

"I have had enormous support from staff, the parents particularly, and the children. It is those personal relationships with people that I value so highly. I will miss working with all of them."

Mr Carrington, who will be replaced by deputy head Robin Gibson until the start of the summer term, described his latest post as a "new challenge".

"I don't thing it is right for me to stay here for the rest of my career - that would be 16 more years.

"It is not right for the school and it is not right for me. I am moving on to a new challenge and the school will find someone first-class to move the school forward again."

During his time at Stanway, Mr Carrington said he and his staff had worked hard to get people thinking positively about the school.

"The school was at a low ebb when I started," he said.

"The progress we have made in all areas - academically, the way children interact with each other, the way parents perceive the school, our links with the community - in all these areas we have moved on so far. People really have a high opinion of the school now."

Mr Carrington described the proposed outline planning permission to revamp the school as the "most exciting thing to happen in Stanway in years".

"I am sorry I won't be here to see it through," he said.

By Lisa Cockrell

Reporter's e-mail: lisa_cockrell@thisisessex.co.uk

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