The outgoing chief of two Sheerness primary schools said it’s like watching his children grow up and leave home.

Alan Bayford has decided to take early retirement after 17 years as executive head teacher of West Minster at the end of the academic year.

He also took over the helm of Rose Street when the two schools formed a federation seven years ago.

The 54-year-old has not confirmed what he will be doing next but he has not ruled out another education role.

His replacement, Steven Connors, has been involved with the schools since last November and started working on Sheppey at the start of April for a transitional period.

Mr Bayford said: “I’m very excited because I am starting a new life. I will obviously miss the schools. I have absolutely enjoyed my time here.

“As I tell the children I have been at school for 50 years, it’s time I left.

“It is like having young children grow up and seeing them leave home. You are sad to see them go but you are also proud of them because they are moving on.

“At this moment, the thing I am most proud of is the children having higher expectations, that is the bit that really matters.

“The director of education in Kent, Patrick Leeson, said that the two schools were a good example of successful schools.

“As a retiring head teacher I feel that I have done a good job and very proud about it and I feel it is certainly one of the best jobs I have ever had.”

The father of two will continue as chair of directors of Children and Families Limited, the charity that runs Seashells Children and Families Centre, Sheerness.

Mr Connors said: “I have a good legacy from Mr Bayford. It is most crucial that the children continue to have a high standard of teaching and learning.”

Jim Duncan, chair of governors of the two schools, said the governors were sad to lose Mr Bayford and were grateful for his work over the years.

He added: “We were very aware that he [Mr Bayford] was going to be a hard act to follow so we needed someone really good in his wake.”

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STEVEN Connors spent 25 years in charge of Manor Fields Primary, Bishop’s Stortford, and led the school to an “outstanding” Ofsted rating in 2009.

The 57-year-old joined the school in 1988 and appointed the teachers and helped design the buildings. It grew from 124 pupils to more than 500 in his time there.

He was also a National Leader of Education – a group of about 500 figure-heads from outstanding institutions who support schools round the country.

The father-of-two was born and raised in Romford, and went to the University of Reading before teaching in Guildford and East Grinstead.

He described his personal teaching philosophy as, “strongly committed to supporting the whole child, to ensuring they have the very best education opportunities.

“To ensure they become confident learners, to ensure they have the requisite skills, use and apply them to become effective members of society.”

He is also an exponent of, “experiential learning”, which he describes as, “doing, trying, experimenting, building”. An example is a business week he arranged for Year 6 where they created and marketed their own ideas before pitching them to traders in the style of Dragons’ Den.