Healey Head’s tribute as two senior staff members set to join her in retirement

Judith Whitworth, Christine Ainley and Susan Taylor

Healey Primary School headteacher Susan Taylor believes she is leaving the school in good hands as her and two senior members of staff prepare for retirement this summer.

Mrs Taylor, ‘of retirement age’, has been at the school for 30 years but will leave this summer alongside deputy head Judith Whitworth and inclusion manager Christine Ainley.

And Mrs Taylor, who also paid tribute to Mrs Whitworth and Mrs Ainley, insists she will be leaving with many good memories of working at Healey.

“My time here has been brilliant,” she said. “It’s a very, very hard job - I’d like to think I make it look easy but I’m sure I don’t!

“It’s just the best place there is - it’s such a rewarding job and I’ve always had a good response.

“I started here working part-time when I had my baby and I liked it so much I stayed.

“It’s like the old Remington advert - ‘I liked it so much I bought the company’ - well I liked it so much I stayed and ran the place - although I can assure you it wasn’t quite as simple as that!”

Mrs Taylor and Mrs Whitworth are actually cousins, the daughters of two twin sisters, and the former believes their upbringing has had a huge impact on her career.

“It was purely circumstance that saw us working together, and there has never been anything untoward,” she explained.

“I had a wonderful childhood - our parents believed in education and we were brought up being given simple experiences, such as day trips and picnics, but in an environment of social responsibility.

“She has been very important during my time at Healey - our values are the same, which is why I think we both get along so well. It’s about sometimes being strict but always being fair.

“I firmly believe every child should leave school knowing they were good at something.

“We’re a very good school academically but I also think that you have to teach values like sharing, and how to be good citizens - I was a firm believer in that before it was added to the curriculum.”

Both Mrs Taylor and Mrs Ainley helped the school to achieve the Inclusion Quality Mark during there time at Healey, and the head was keen to highlight the extra-curricular efforts of her long-standing colleague.

“Mrs Ainley is almost unique in Rochdale,” said Mrs Taylor. “She has always given her spare time to children and families who have needed extra support.

“School can be confusing for some people, but Mrs Ainley has always been there and I know she is extremely respected, not just at Healey but in Inclusion Services.

“It’s been a very amiable and open working relationship here and I know the three of us are leaving it in a very good place and in a very good pair of hands in Mrs Johnson.”

And having spent her whole life working to an academic calendar, Mrs Taylor is now looking forward to her next chapter.

“I have worked to a timetable my whole life - I have been in school since I was four,” she added.

“It will be very interesting to work a year from January to December, rather than September to August. It will be nice not to have any pressure on me and take a holiday when I want.”