Head teacher at Clifton with Rawcliffe School, York, retires

Andy Herbert has retired as head teacher at Clifton with Rawcliffe School after seven years at the school.

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Mr Herbert was previously head for many years at Fishergate primary and before that he was acting head and then head at Skelton School and going back even further, his first teaching job in the city was at Lakeside Primary School, who he joined in 1993. 

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He took over at Clifton with Rawcliffe at the start of the Summer term in 2015 when Chris Wigley, the previous head retired from his job in charge of 600 pupils.

In his time at the school Mr Wigley oversaw the joining of two schools - the former Rawcliffe Infants and Clifton Without Juniors and their move into a brand new £7 million building in 2011.

Clifton with Rawcliffe School (Image: Newsquest)

Donna Wass, chair of governors at the school, said: “On behalf of governors and parents at Clifton with Rawcliffe Primary School, I would like to thank Andy Herbert for his dedication, enthusiasm and commitment to our school and children. Over the last seven years in his role as Headteacher he has supported staff in providing a stimulating, creative, wholesome and valuable learning experience for all children. We thank him for his continued commitment to education over his long career and wish him all the best in his retirement.”

During his leadership, the school became an academy and joined Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust in 2017 and achieved a Good Ofsted judgement in July 2021. Prior to this, Mr Herbert worked with the City of York Education Authority. Wherever he has served as head teacher, he has always had a deep desire to support and encourage other schools.

Andrew Daly, CEO of Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust, said: “On behalf of colleagues across Pathfinder, I would like to thank Andy Herbert for his dedication and commitment to not only Clifton with Rawcliffe but all schools across the trust. Alongside his role as Headteacher, he has been an invaluable part of our school improvement team ensuring we continue to deliver an excellent education to children across all of our primary schools. We would like to wish him the very best for the future from everyone at Pathfinder.”

Mr Herbert said: "I still have a feeling of immense privilege as I drive into the school each day. This is a school designed to make the very best of every opportunity to develop pupils holistically, a vision that is lived and breathed by the amazing staff team. It has been a great thrill to end my career here, leading an amazing team who work collaboratively and who put children at the heart of everything they do."

Staff and students welcomed the school’s new Headteacher, Claire Fielding, who took over at the beginning of January.