Waterbeach Community Primary School headteacher retires with happy memories

A headteacher who has carried out amazing feats of bravery to raise money for her school – including parachuting nine times and wing walking on a plane – has retired.

Jane Green, who has been the much-loved head of Waterbeach Community Primary School for the past 14 years, left last week.

She took part in the sponsored daredevil feats in order to help pay for extras such as IT and PE equipment as well as ensuring every child was able to take part in some free whole-school trips including a visit to the beach and to Banham Zoo.

Staff and students held a farewell celebration for the head that she said left her “in tears”. Now she is looking forward to taking a six-month break before considering some volunteering work.

Miss Green, 60, said: “I’ve been here since 2010 and have had 14 years of happiness in this wonderful school that started off as an Army School, which is why I came to work with the village and the Army children. Of course it’s changed massively over those 14 years. I’ve got to an age now where I think it’s time for me to leave education and start to explore something else.

“I’m retiring from headship, so where I’m going is very uncertain, but I still want to get out there and have a look at life outside of education.”

Miss Green, whose father was a warrant officer, continued: “I always wanted to teach and I always wanted to work with the Army because that was my upbringing. And so I worked in Berlin for three years.

“I was there in 1989 when the wall came down. I actually managed to stand on the wall that night.

“When I came back here I really wanted to get back in touch with the Army, which is why I came to Waterbeach, because obviously they were attached to the barracks at that point. And then the Army promptly up and left! But I didn’t want to leave by then. I just loved this school. It’s a great school.”

Known for her adventurous spirit, Miss Green has taken part in numerous challenges to raise money for the school, including wing walking on a biplane, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, parachuting nine times, and cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

The latter was possibly the most gruelling because of a knee injury, she said, “but supportive messages from staff and parents got me through it”.

The motivation for raising money to ensure the whole school was able to access day trips came from a memorable conversation.

“We had gone to the beach at Hunstanton for the day and an 11-year-old girl told me it was the first time she had ever stepped on sand. I decided that wasn’t right and that we had to make these experiences available for everyone.”

They now make an annual trip to the beach and have also taken the whole school to Banham Zoo and High Lodge on a Gruffalo hunt.

She added: “For me, it’s all about the whole child and them having experiences that sometimes I just take for granted.”

Her favourite memories of her time at the school include Isle of Wight residential trips, taking the children on a steam train, assemblies in school hall, Christmas carols on the playground with the Salvation Army Band and staff get-togethers – including playing rounders in the dark.

“I have so many lovely memories,” she said. Her next step will be to take six months off to “recalibrate” before possibly volunteering for a charity, the National Trust or Banham Zoo.

And Miss Green will clearly be missed.

“She’s been brilliant for the school,” one parent told us.