"I SHALL miss you all immensely" - The headteacher of a primary school has said her goodbyes after 12 years at the helm and thanked the thousands of students she has taught over the years.

Claire Staple joined Burton Bradstock CE Primary School in 2009 and has seen it go from strength to strength, working with the school's governors to set strategic goals and priorities resulting in good ratings from both Ofsted and SIAMS inspections.

She led the school as it helped to set up the Minerva Learning Trust, which is made up of four west Dorset schools - Burton Bradstock CE Primary School, Bridport Primary School, St Mary’s CE School and The Sir John Colfox Academy.

Mrs Staple said: "It is now my time to say goodbye. It is hard to believe that it has been almost 12 years since I took up the post. It seems like only yesterday.

"During my time at the school I have been blessed to meet so many wonderful people. There are too many for me to thank individually but I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Burton Bradstock Community and St Mary’s Church, the school's governors, the Minerva Learning Trust, the school staff, parents and carers, and of course the children.

"To the thousands of children that I have taught I say thank you – thank you for the laughter, thank you for the hugs, thank you for your resilience, thank you for the games we have played, thank you for the huge amount of pride that I feel when I think of you, thank you for the memories. I shall miss you all immensely."

Mrs Staple also played a big part in making sure the school played its part in the life of the village, with the town's annual duck race being a particular favourite of hers.

Andrew Lovett, the executive principal of the Minerva Trust said: “All the heads in the trust will miss Mrs Staple’s wisdom and integrity. Her commitment to the children has been second to none and we have all benefited from working alongside her. We are very sorry to lose her.”

Clive Bath, chairman of the Minerva Trust said: “Burton Bradstock School is highly thought of by the community and by education professionals. That is very largely down to (Mrs Staple). You have perfectly combined a focus on the classroom with an understanding of the place of a school in village life.”