On Friday 16th July, Bloxham Church of England Primary School will bid a fond farewell to our Headteacher of seventeen years, Matthew Ingall. To say that he has had a phenomenal impact on our school would be an understatement. Since the start of his tenure, his principal focus has always been the wellbeing of our children. Perhaps it is no surprise then that the number of children at our school has almost doubled under his Headship. The natural, mutual respect between himself and the children has always been, and continues to be, evident. He has always loved to celebrate the achievements of our children, not only during celebration assemblies but also around school in person. (Those much coveted, shiny Headteacher stickers are always worn with great pride!)  Matthew has always been a strong advocate for developing children’s achievements in school, and has always actively encouraged the staff to ‘take risks’ with their teaching to not only support but challenge the children in both their thinking and learning.

As well as his sincere concern for the children, he has equally valued his large number of staff and given the same consideration to their wellbeing and happiness. Every morning without fail, he ‘does the rounds’ to check in on every teacher before the day begins. He is a constant, reassuring presence around the school, being on the playground at both the beginning and end of day, to meet and greet children, parents and carers. As well as these wonderful qualities, and to staff who know him best, we will always remember him for his wonderful calmness, caring nature, great listening skills and dry, witty sense of humour. His microphone skills during church services, FOBPS events and Sports Days are legendary . . . as are his Computing skills! The last seventeen years have not been without incident for him: who can forget the site fire of 2005; the flood of 2007; the collapse of parts of the school hall ceiling in 2016 and of course his steering a large primary school through the unchartered waters of Covid? With events like this to contend with (as well as the joys of OFSTED!) he has found great relaxation in reading, running, music, sport (especially the England cricket test matches and Crystal Palace’s yo-yoing performances) and walking his beloved dog, Bob the Collie. How we shall miss his morning assemblies beginning with a beautiful recollection of one of their morning walks: a beautiful sunrise; a misty morning or a deer standing still and silent. These are in stark contrast to him reaching for his favourite picture book, Charles Keeping’s Joseph’s Yard or Michael Rosen’s Chocolate Cake to read to the children.

Finally, what perhaps illustrates Matthew’s outstanding commitment towards education the most, is the fact that when Covid struck, he chose to delay his retirement for another year, as it was for the benefit of the whole school, not just the children but also the staff and parents. What a truly marvellous man who will be greatly missed by all.