Peter Gale, principal of Mary Hare School in Newbury, has announced his retirement

THE principal of a Newbury school has announced he will retire next summer.

Peter Gale has spent 25 years at Mary Hare, a specialist school for deaf children, and has been principal since 2014.

Mr Gale said he was very proud of what the school had achieved and would be leaving on a high.

He added: “I will be retiring in summer 2022. I have just completed 25 happy years at Mary Hare and I am extremely proud to have been principal since 2014.

“Although one or two very kind pupils have said I don't look it, I will be 60 this summer and 61 when I retire.

“I am very proud of all that we have achieved and feel I will be leaving on a high, with a fantastic team around me and, all being well, a new primary school opening on the Snelsmore campus.

“There are days when I feel like doing another five years, but there is so much I want to do in retirement and feel that the time is right to plan for the next phase.

“My love of this school and its pupils and staff will always be with me, as will my conviction that families should be able to choose a school like Mary Hare without facing so many obstacles and I will certainly be looking for opportunities to continue to have a voice in this debate.”