By Duncan Bick

Last updated at 14:38, Friday, 21 September 2012

A headteacher has announced his retirement after more than a quarter of a century working in education

Tony Winzor

Tony Winzor, 61, has held a variety of positions in the profession, including head of physics, head of science and deputy head. He is currently in charge at Hunter Hall Preparatory School in Penrith.

Born in Workington, his family moved to Wolverhampton when he was five and he stayed there until heading to the University of Sheffield when he was 18.

He completed a degree in metallurgy then studied for a PhD in the physics of this subject.

It was after completing his studies that he “came home” to Cumbria and got a job working in the nuclear industry at Sellafield.

His job involved studying the effects of radiation on different materials.

“It was really interesting, and I still have a deep interest in physics,” Dr Winzor, who lives near Cockermouth, said.

He moved from the nuclear industry into education in 1984.

“I found it fascinating but it was very slow. I wanted something more instantly rewarding,” he said. He found this when he became a physics teacher at St Bees School.

After climbing through the ranks there, he took up his current role in 2009.

Changes he has made at Hunter Hall include making it more environmentally-friendly, with the introduction of solar panels, and creating a new library.

Dr Winzor is clear about what the best part of his job is. “Just following children through their education,” he said.

He is looking forward to spending time with his wife Catherine, 60, who has just retired as headteacher at a primary school in Whitehaven, and spending some time engaging in his passions for walking, cycling and travelling.

He will leave his job at the end of the 2012/13 school year. His successor will start next September.

n Education News: page 18

First published at 13:49, Friday, 21 September 2012
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk