ROWDEFORD School headteacher Ingrid Sidmouth is saying goodbye after 16 years.

Mrs Sidmouth, 58, will retire next month after expanding the school from 86 to 130 pupils, and making it the first special school in the country to receive the International Values-Based Education Quality Mark.

She will be succeeded by deputy head, Mike Loveridge, who said she has been “a cornerstone of the school”.

Mrs Sidmouth said: “I will miss everything when I’ve retired. Rowdeford is a phenomenal school all the way from the staff to the children, parents and carers and governors. Working here has been the highlight of my educational career.”

Mrs Sidmouth, who lives near Compton Bassett with her husband, moved to Wiltshire in 1986 to become the special needs co-ordinator at Devizes School, and later worked at George Ward School in Melksham. She joined Rowdeford in 2001.

“I’m extraordinarily proud that, during my time as head, we’ve maintained a good or outstanding rating from Oftsted,” Mrs Sidmouth said. “I’m proud of the IVET quality mark. The mark really reflects all the work we’ve done around the core values which underpin everything we do.”

The school teaches pupils with complex needs, including autism, learning difficulties, and are considered to be vulnerable either socially, emotionally or physically.

Mrs Sidmouth added: “Children really blossom when they come to Rowdeford, where we teach a balance of academic and life skills and prepare the children to be full and active members of society.

“I do worry about the future of special schools like this because they’re having to work with less and less money.

“However, I’m delighted that Mike Loveridge has been appointed to replace me and I know I’ll be leaving the school in very capable hands.

“It seems scary to be retiring but I am looking forward to spending more time with my husband and family. We’ll be doing some travelling and moving house soon – I’m going for maximum stress.”

Mr Loveridge said: “Ingrid will be seriously missed at Rowdeford and I’ve got big shoes to fill.

“She has been a cornerstone of the school for many years and has left a phenomenal legacy. She cares deeply about the children and the future of the school and has been an amazing and inspiring person to work with.”