THE head teacher of a Furness secondary school has announced he will be stepping down from his position after ten years at the helm.

Denis Fay has been head teacher at Ulverston Victoria High School (uVHS) for a decade since moving from Dowdales School, Dalton-in-Furness.

"Having enjoyed my time at UVHS I feel that old father time is catching up with me and it is now time to pass on the baton to those who are younger and better than I," Mr Fay told the Gazette.

"I only came to UVHS for three months to help out before returning to Dowdales School which, like UVHS, will always have a special place in my heart.

"However, three months turned into ten years in what seems a blink of an eye as we in the UVHS community of governors, staff, parents and students embarked on a brilliant journey which saw the school attain “outstanding” status in record time."

Mr Fay added he would leave the school at Easter with great pride having enjoyed his time as its head.

"As an old fashioned head teacher, I just love being in a school which offers a full education and support to its students of all abilities and needs," he said. " I couldn’t be the production manager of an exam factory which treats children as products to survive in a climate of threatening accountability.

"UVHS is a real school and I am proud of that. We get brilliant outcomes for our children; we give them a full curriculum and offer lots of extra-curricular opportunities to develop wider learning and character.

"I am proud of our school and know that it will go from strength to strength building on its firm foundations."

In the interim period before the appointment of Mr Fay's successor, UVHS will be led by Matt Hardwick, the current head of school.

"He is totally dedicated to the success of UVHS and will enjoy the full support of all our community," added Mr Fay. "I will enjoy watching the school continue to flourish but from a distance."