Departures/Arrivals

Farewell to John Bardsley

ASCL bids a fond farewell to field officer John Bardsley as he takes up his second retirement at the end of March.

John's gain will be a great loss to ASCL members in his territory in the East Midlands and South and West Yorkshire. He was always sensitive to others' needs and extremely thorough with each case he took on, no matter how big or small. His tenacity was matched by his great sense of humour.

His began his career teaching geography in Manchester and eventually was headteacher of two 11-18 schools in Congleton and Sheffield. He joined SHA in 1982 when he became a deputy head in Poynton and 20 years later took on the field officer role.

We wish John well as he celebrates his ruby wedding this year with his wife Pat, and takes a well deserved extended holiday to Australia with family.

Welcome to David Binnie

At the same time, ASCL is pleased to extend a warm welcome to David Binnie, who will take on John's territory as a full-time regional officer, assisting members personally in his field officer role as well as supporting branch secretaries.

David was brought up in Birmingham and started his career teaching geography with physical education. His career spans six schools in Staffordshire, Solihull and Walsall, with two headships totaling 16 years.

David says he is particularly looking forward to meeting colleagues across the region, listening to their concerns but also learning from their own creative responses to current issues. He is enthusiastic about sharing his experience of all aspects of school leadership and using the lessons learnt from both the highs and lows of headship to support members.