I extend my heart-felt thanks to parents and colleagues for their best wishes and gifts, as I left Wordsworth Infant School after 16 years of teaching there.

I would like to explain to past parents and colleges that I specifically wanted a discreet leaving hence no invitations to a "do".

Also I am pleased to share with you that donations to Child Line were accepted by the school office in place of leaving gifts. I have a cheque for £118 to send to that charity - thank you all so much.

I have been privileged to have taught many children from the same family and was even beginning to teach children of parents I taught in my first appointment at Hardmoor School in Bassett Green in the 1970s!

I would like to extend my thanks to the Open Spaces and Grounds Maintenance team of Southampton City Council (Graham Pugh) for their support in helping me in my role as school grounds co-ordinator and to the local schools and colleges with whom I have had an excellent working partnership co-ordinating the work experience and CACHE students over several years. I certainly hope many of them are inspired to work in education or an area of childcare.

The people who have inspired me are too numerous to mention.

Many thanks and sincere good wishes.

T JORDAN, Southampton.