FOR soon-to-retire Sue Wright, head teacher at a Ludham school for eight years, it could have all been very different. Having graduated with a degree in German and linguistics, she was on the cusp of going into speech therapy but realised her path lay elsewhere.

FOR soon-to-retire Sue Wright, head teacher at a Ludham school for eight years, it could have all been very different.

Having graduated with a degree in German and linguistics, she was on the cusp of going into speech therapy but realised her path lay elsewhere.

Mrs Wright, 60, said: “I have always been interested in language and the way that children learn language, and before signing onto a speech therapy course I decided I wanted to be a teacher instead.”

This was a decision that was to take her to various schools around England, but it was only on stepping through the doors of Ludham Primary School and Nursery that she had her first experience of the top job.

Since then, the mother-of-three has overseen huge changes at the school, including its growth from having two classes to four.

It is the memory of seeing these changes finally reach completion in 2006 that she describes as one of her fondest.

She said: “The building work lasted two years, during which time we had to move around the school a lot so it could be done.

“But it was great to see everything up and ready when the term started and to see the children's faces as they went into the new buildings - they also had new uniforms as well.”

When she leaves the school as head for the last time on April 1, she will be leaving a group of staff, teachers and governors she describes as a “one enormous family”, and says she will miss those who she works with every day.

And it is in this spirit that the school have organised an after-lessons tea party on Wednesday, when she will be able to say farewell with colleagues old and new.

But though the past few weeks have been ones of mixed emotions, she said she will not miss the paperwork or early mornings, and is looking forward to having the freedom to travel and see loved ones.

She said: “I have five grandchildren, three of whom live in Sweden because my son Stephen moved there, so it would be great to see them.

“I went to Kenya last summer and I also really look forward to travelling, whether it's Asia, Australia, America or anywhere, actually.”