A HUSBAND and wife who together chalked up almost 40 years as primary school head teachers are to retire this Christmas.

Mark Woodburn, of Ghyllside Primary School, Kendal, and Sue Woodburn, of Burton Morewood CE Primary Academy, Burton-in-Kendal, began their teaching careers in Cumbria in 1981.

MORE TOP STORIES:

This week the couple told the Gazette they had both been "extremely lucky working in such superb schools, with amazing children, dedicated and talented staff and supportive parents and governors".

Praising their colleagues and pupils, the Woodburns said: "Without this combination we wouldn't have been able to achieve all that we have."

Mr Woodburn took up the headship of Holme Primary School in 1996 and moved to Ghyllside as head teacher in 1999. He attended the Kendal school as a child in the 1960s and was a class teacher there for almost six years in the 1980s.

Mrs Woodburn, meanwhile, became head at Burton Morewood in 1997. She went on to become a National Leader of Education when Burton gained an outstanding Ofsted report in 2014.

Michael Fishwick, chair of governors at Burton, paid tribute, saying: "Sue has been a wonderful head teacher. She has become synonymous with the school and under her leadership Burton Morewood has been transformed into the outstanding, happy and admired school we see today.

"It is a real measure of a school, and a delight, to see the happiness and contentment of the Burton Morewood children. Sue is a true role model and her national recognition as such is fully deserved. It has been a pleasure for the governors to work with her but, while she will be sadly missed, we are delighted she has nurtured an outstanding team to take up the mantle."

Michele Kay, chair of governors at Ghyllside, said Mr Woodburn would be 'sorely missed' by everyone and wished him 'the very best for his voyage ahead'.

She said: "Mark Woodburn's inspirational leadership style and inner passion to drive the Ghyllside team forward to a higher level of educational excellence, together with a heartfelt understanding of the individual skills each child needs to succeed in life, will live on to be an unforgettable legacy."

Mrs Woodburn is to continue in her National Leader role part-time, supporting other South Lakeland schools, while her husband intends to make the most of his time enjoying the Lakes, especially on 'school days'.

Both the couple's children and their wives have followed them into teaching, and the Woodburns told the Gazette: "Perhaps it was our enthusiasm for the job or the hilarious stories we would tell of daily life in a primary school that led them to follow in our footsteps. Despite our best efforts we couldn't put them off a job that is so demanding and rewarding in equal measure."