I'll miss the kids and staff says loyal Alan

The then head of Nunnery Wood High School was going on secondment to Germany the following term and someone needed to take hold of the reins.

That was September 1974. One year later Mr Brodrick was appointed full-time headteacher of the Spetchley Road school.

"It came as a bit of a shock," said Mr Brodrick, who is retiring from the post this summer.

The head is Worcester through and through. His father worked in the education department at Worcestershire County Council until it merged with Herefordshire.

After completing his education at Royal Grammar School, Worcester, Mr Brodrick went off to university and teacher training college. That led to a post in Luton before returning to the county in 1970.

He taught modern languages - German and Spanish - at The Leys High School in Redditch until 1974.

Then his time at Nunnery Wood began, and the rest, they say, is history.

"I've been at the retirement age for the past couple of years," said Mr Brodrick.

"I could have stayed on for a couple more years but I feel the time is right and I'm ready.

"I plan to do things that I've delayed doing for many years. To live a life that's not regimented by a bell will be interesting.

"I've no specific plans, nothing like a world cruise.

Human element

"I shall miss the human element - the staff and the children.

"You have your ups and downs.

"What I shan't miss is the culture that the Government has entered into. It's teaching and testing, not education any more.

"We've always had targets for children. We've tested them hopefully to be able to report progress. The issue is now that's the priority."

Nunnery Wood has grown significantly in the time Mr Brodrick has spent at the school.

It has grown from around 1,000 pupils to 1,350 and more and more buildings have sprung up.

It was part of the 1983 Worcester schools reshuffle when it changed from a secondary modern to a comprehensive.

"It was done very well," he said.

"We were favoured in that it was already a mixed school on a single site. We had a solid foundation.

"It was an exciting time. We had a happy sequence of change. The national curriculum and delegation of funds followed soon after."

The role of headteacher has changed significantly since Alan Brodrick took the reins.

Schools now have greater control over the budget, there are more meetings to go to and more initiatives put into action.

The workload has increased so much that 11 years into the job he gave up classroom work.

"I probably haven't taught on a regular basis since 1986," he said.

"I used to enjoy teaching and the company of youngsters but I found I couldn't do two jobs There was a lot of meetings and initiatives banging around.

"I found I was called out when I wanted to teach.

"The Government's recent initiatives have attempted to make it more viable for teachers who like the classroom to stay and be rewarded appropriately without going into administration."

While Mr Brodrick looks to his own future he knows that Nunnery Wood will continue to thrive.

"It's sound in education and financially," he said.

"I would hope that the school is going to apply for specialist science college status. That would be a significant move forward, which would extend the work in science and maths departments and bring benefits to all areas of the curriculum.

"The 14-19 debate is an exciting area, even if it's turning the clock back 35 years - we've been through vocational courses.

"Never knock education but there are youngsters who are far better learning from life at the age of 16. For them full-time education doesn't hold a lot. My main concern is we'll have 18, 19 and even 21-year-olds who have their expectations raised and find work isn't available.

"People talk about GCSEs disappearing in time and I can see that happening. Things have to move on but to be replaced by what, we don't know."

One thing is certain, Alan Brodrick is moving on and Nunnery Wood High School won't be the same without him.