THREE teachers with a combined length of service at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Blackburn of 107 years are to retire this summer.

Deputy head teacher Dave Hopkinson and art teacher Regina Arkwright will leave this August after being at the school for 41 and 40 years respectively. They are the longest-serving members of staff.

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Maths teacher Phil Woodridge is also due to retire after a 26-year career at the West Park Road school.

Head teacher Simon Corns paid tribute to his deputy saying that his loyalty and commitment to the school were exemplary.

He added that Mrs Arkwright had given immense service to the school and that Mr Woodridge had done an excellent job at QEGS.

Mr Hopkinson, 64, has spent his entire career at the school and first joined as a politics and history teacher before becoming the first head of politics when the subject was given its own department.

He was then promoted to head of sixth form and has served as the school’s deputy head teacher for 10 years alongside managing a number of the school’s football teams.

The father-of-two and grandfather-of-five, said: “I came straight from my teacher training and only thought that I would stay for four or five years.

“I’ve been very lucky in that every time I could have left to further my career a promotion has turned up here so I have stayed.

“One of the biggest changes over my time has been to see the numbers from 1,200 to well below that then the direct grants were introduced to now when our numbers are on the up after becoming a free school.”

Mrs Arkwright, 66, who has taught the likes of Channel Four newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy, said: “I have loved my time here and the kids have been great fun to work with .”

Mr Woodridge, 60, who previously taught at Bury Grammar School, said: “I’ve been comfortable here and enjoyed my time .”