Blackpool is forever in heart of retiring headteacher

Jo Hirst may have said farewell to her career as a teacher but she has no plans to give up on improving education in the resort.
Jo Hirst has retired as headtecher at Bispham CE Endowed School after a lifetime of teaching in and aorund BlackpoolJo Hirst has retired as headtecher at Bispham CE Endowed School after a lifetime of teaching in and aorund Blackpool
Jo Hirst has retired as headtecher at Bispham CE Endowed School after a lifetime of teaching in and aorund Blackpool

She’s just retired after 28 years in the resort, the last 18 as head at Bispham Endowed CE School.

Jo took over the village school just as it was transitioning from a junior school to what has become a popular and packed primary school.

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Raised and educated in Morecambe, she set her sights on being a teacher from an early age, just like her mum and grandma.

She left the former Edge Hill teacher training college with a first class honours degree and her first post was at Treales CE Primary where she taught all the infants.

After five “very, very happy years she moved on to Fleetwood Larkholme Primary teaching juniors and was promoted to head of leadership.

Her biggest step up came when the new Marton CP School opened in South Shore and Jo was offered the deputy headship.

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She says: “I was there 10 very, very happy years. It was a fantastic school and I’m still in touch with staff and see children and parents from back then.”

Jo applied for the headship at what was to become Bispham Primary and the rest, she says is history.

“Things have changed but it is an amazing school with fantastic staff. It is just one very big family where everyone knows the children really well.

“I have always known all my children by name and pride myself on matching the children with their parents.”

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After a career teaching across the greater Blackpool area Jo has taught thousands of local families including the children of children, especially in the village schools.

Jo is planning to spend her ‘early’ retirement with her husband Godfrey.

He is the retired vicar of St Cuthbert’s in Lytham.

The couple have a daughter who is a doctor and Jo shares two stepdaughters - one a senior sister at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and the other is a paediatric nurse in London.

Jo said: “ I am going to enjoy spending time with family doing things like gardening and home improvements but I hope to be able to still do something in education.

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She added: “I am ready to leave teaching in Blackpool but not Blackpool and its schools.”

Because of the Covid-19 constraints Jo wasn't able to celebrate her retirement properly but is planning to return to school in the new term to see the staff and children.

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