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Headteacher Yve Reynolds and some of the Newington Green primary pupils she is leaving to go and travel around the world |
Head ready to ride into the sunset!
Teacher all set to leave primary school to travel around the world after 30 years in borough
SHE left the peaceful plains of Norfolk, where pupils came to school on horses, to risk voodoo curses in an inner city primary school.
But now, after 30 years, Newington Green primary headteacher Yve Reynolds is retiring, off to teach English to Buddhist monks, raise money for nurseries and help out in orphanages.
Ms Reynolds, who has been at Newington Green for seven years, is embarking on a gap year for adults trip around the world and has a whole year of voluntary work planned.
She said: “It’s always been a plan that I would do some voluntary work. I’m off to Nepal to work in a Buddhist monastery. I’m going to teach novice monks English and do gardening and cooking. Then I’m going to work in an orphanage in Tokkara.
“In March I’m off to Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town, which I’ve been fundraising for over the past year. I went there a year ago and it was such a sad nursery. They had nothing at all so I came back and raised money and we bought them a kitchen. They’ve got no electricity or running water.”
Next September Ms Reynolds will reach Ghana where she’s lined up voluntary work in a maternity and paediatric ward. She’s also doing some paid consultancy work in Prague.
In the meantime Ms Reynolds is returning to Norfolk to live in a cottage.
She said she has thoroughly enjoyed her time at Newington Green.
“I wanted to work in a multi-cultural school in London,” said Ms Reynolds. “It was a huge change. I came from a school with just 125 pupils in Norfolk, where some of the children came to school on horses, to a multi-cultural school.
“When I arrived the behaviour wasn’t as good as it is now and that was because I took a very strong line on behaviour.
“We’ve got everyone in the whole school working and using the system. I’ve got my own team of staff around me. I think 98 per cent of my staff are people I appointed myself.”
“I’m going to miss the children. It’s been my greatest privilege to serve the community here and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed making a difference to the children’s lives.
“I’ve been a teacher for 30 years and I can’t imagine my days without them. It’s been a joy watching them develop.”
But it’s not all been rosy memories. Ms Reynolds added: “I remember having a voodoo spell put on me. I’d only been here about three or four weeks and I was on police protection.
“It’s been an absolute joy.
“We’ve had a really superb Ofsted, our SATs are the highest they’ve ever been, they’ve increased 40 per cent from when I came. I’m leaving it in a very good position for someone to take over.” |
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Your comments:
Evee Reynolds is my mother, and i would just like to say a very huge thank you for making peoples lives so special, you deserve everything you wish for in life, you are one in a million and your family love you very very much, you should be very proud of all you have achieved. x
B. Bartlett
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