- 19/06/2025
We talk to the head of St Martins School, Gobowen area, as she prepares to leave the school for the final time after many years service.
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00:00So we're here at St Martin's School, just on the outskirts of Oswestry, and we're with headteacher.
00:06Introduce yourself, madam.
00:07Hello there, I'm Sue Lufsey.
00:09And Sue, it's a good job I've come now, because you won't be headteacher in a few weeks.
00:13I know, I was counting down the days and now you've suddenly asked me, I can't remember.
00:19I think I've got four weeks left.
00:20Four weeks, yeah. And you started when?
00:23September 1992.
00:26Wow, how old were you then?
00:27See how I tried to slyly catch you?
00:33So where are you from yourself?
00:35So I'm from Yorkshire originally, I moved over here just before 1992.
00:41I can't remember why I came now, I think I moved to Chester, a nice area.
00:46And yeah, I started work as an art teacher and gradually worked my way through the school in 2014.
00:52I became head, and I've been obviously now 11 years.
00:59And you're kind of leaving on a good footing, you've just had an Ofsted, how did you do in that?
01:05It's a couple of years ago now, so yeah, we had a great Ofsted.
01:09You know, it's a really unusual, I mean I've just been explaining, it's a through school, so we've got from age 3 to 16, it's just a fantastic environment to work in, lovely.
01:22As a head teacher, I didn't realise, I've learnt that today, that there are schools that cater from 3 to 16, where I am personally, it's a free school tier system.
01:30So that must come with its own range of challenges and needs really, as a head overseeing, you know, that.
01:37Yeah, absolutely.
01:37I mean luckily I've done loads of transition work as a secondary specialist, so I've met the younger children quite a lot.
01:45But yeah, a real learning curve, especially early years, you know.
01:48Number one, I'm six foot tall, so crouching down to talk to the nursery kids, you know, was a bit of a challenge to start with.
01:55But, you know, yesterday, I think it was yesterday, I went down there and they were, you know, they'd grown butterflies.
02:04Oh wow.
02:05Lots of a better word, very scientific.
02:07No, that's kind of cool.
02:08And the children were all saying, well what's going to happen now, they're going to fly away, and they were really sad.
02:14Yeah.
02:15You know, watching these little children learning about that science through actually doing it themselves.
02:20Yeah.
02:20So, you know, every time I've got some stroppy teenager at my door, I can pop down and make myself feel better with a bit of plasticine.
02:28Yeah, yeah.
02:29Going to have a look at what they're doing down there.
02:32So, it's fascinating.
02:34So, what is it kind of that's special about the school you've created here and that you're proud of, you know, it?
02:40Well, we're oversubscribed, we're well known for our family ethos.
02:44You know, when I show people around, what strikes them straight away is the relationships between staff and students are very different here.
02:53We get students that move to us from big secondary schools and they're kind of walking around wondering what's going on for a little while.
03:00Because, you know, it's very friendly.
03:02You know, those relationships are very special.
03:06Obviously, with having so few, we've only got 700 children in Taupo.
03:10And I've obviously been in the community such a long time.
03:13We know our families really well.
03:16You know, I've got some parents meeting with me this afternoon.
03:19I shouldn't be saying this on camera that I taught.
03:22Yeah.
03:23Wow.
03:23So, yeah, huge connection with the village.
03:27And the school, you know, has had difficult times in the past where maybe the community didn't value the school as much as they do now.
03:37But we've got a really high standing in the community now.
03:39We really are a centre of the community of St. Martin.
03:42So, I'm really proud of that.
03:43I'm really proud of the team of staff that I've got here.
03:46Super proud of the kiddies.
03:49Yeah, it's been fantastic.
03:51And you've got a lovely card and a box of Ferrero on the table there.
03:54That's off one of the pupils, isn't it?
03:56Yeah, yeah, Year 11.
03:57I've got their leaving assembly today.
04:00They've been a brilliant Year 11.
04:01They were actually the first people that I told that I was going.
04:05Yeah.
04:06Even before I, I think just as I emailed staff, I had an assembly with them.
04:12And they were really privileged to be some of the first people.
04:15And I said, look, you're not the only people leaving.
04:18I'm going too.
04:19And one of the girls just sat and cried.
04:21I said, you don't need to cry.
04:22You're going.
04:23You're going anyway.
04:25Yeah, yeah.
04:26So, yeah, really special children here at St. Martin.
04:29We're just here with one of your pupils, Alexandra.
04:32Yeah.
04:32And has she been a good pupil?
04:34A model pupil?
04:35She's been amazing.
04:35She's been fantastic, yeah.
04:36Cool.
04:37And Alexandra, you're originally from Russia, aren't you?
04:39Yes.
04:39So, a bit of a change coming to shop here from Russia, I'm sure.
04:43But you've written a lovely card for me.
04:45So, you obviously think a lot of her.
04:46So, I want to thank Ms. Percy for the exceptional leadership, care and love she has shown towards
04:52our whole school community.
04:54And during our time, during the third time, her teacher, you've made such a positive impact.
05:02And not through the big decisions and changes, but the way you've shaped the school into a
05:06place that feels supportive, inspiring and welcoming.
05:09That's lovely.
05:11That's lovely.
05:11Lovely words.
05:12Well done.
05:13It is beautiful.
05:14It's nice when you're writing it.
05:15Yeah, when you get something like that off a pupil, isn't it?
05:18It makes me feel so happy when I got it.
05:19Yeah.
05:19Well done, Alexandra.
05:21Mission accomplished.
05:22And any particular pupils over the years that have kind of...
05:26I bet you get some characters, don't you, that just, you know...
05:30Do you know what?
05:32I still remember when I first came, I had a year 10 art group.
05:38Yeah.
05:39And they were amazing.
05:40You know, young teacher coming with loads of ideas and we did some fantastic projects.
05:46And I had this really tricky...
05:48I'm not going to mention his name because he's a dad now.
05:50Yeah, yeah.
05:51And you'll know exactly who he is if you get to watch this.
05:55And I remember when he finished his GCSE, he brought me a little key ring with a little
05:59gonk on it.
06:00Yeah.
06:00And for him, that was like, you know, this big tough lad giving his teacher a little key ring.
06:06Nice cute little key ring.
06:08Yeah.
06:08Yeah, yeah.
06:08But the whole class, I remember, I'm still in contact with some of them.
06:12Wow.
06:12You know, they're in their 40s now.
06:14Yeah.
06:14Crikey.
06:15You know, I'm still in contact with them.
06:17And as teachers, you know, you always have that connection with some of those children.
06:23But, I mean, I wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to how many children have taught or
06:27had teachered.
06:28It would be thousands.
06:29Yeah.
06:30Have you seen kind of the job of the teacher change over the years?
06:35Is it...
06:36It's got a...
06:37It feels like there's a lot more pressure put on the staff now and a lot more kind of
06:42form filling.
06:43From the outside, that's how it seems.
06:45Is that how it feels from your end?
06:48Yeah.
06:49I mean, I...
06:50Go on, show me age now.
06:51I remember my first job, the very first computers.
06:55Yeah, of course.
06:56Yeah, yeah.
06:56So I remember having one of the very first computers in my art room and doing some art
06:59work on.
07:00Yeah.
07:01To now where just about everything we do is online.
07:04Yeah.
07:04A lot of the lessons are online.
07:07AI.
07:08Wow.
07:09Taking over the world.
07:10I mean, it's rapidly being introduced into schools.
07:12We're using...
07:13We're about to start using AI to mark.
07:15Oh, wow.
07:16Yeah.
07:16Oh, wow.
07:17So I think it's troughs and waves.
07:23So is it way more difficult now than it was?
07:26I think it is in troughs and waves.
07:29Yeah.
07:29We've had governments come and go, you know, and different things thrown at us.
07:36So there's new challenges all the time.
07:38I think the challenge of COVID was something particularly difficult.
07:41Yeah.
07:42And I think we're still, you know, we're still seeing the effects of COVID in schools.
07:48Yeah, a lot of people, because obviously if you haven't got children or, you know, you're
07:53not involved in the school world, because one thing I hear a lot when we go to schools
07:58is there's a lot of children with kind of anxiety issues and so on.
08:02Do you think that's part of the kind of what's been left from COVID?
08:07Yeah, I think it is.
08:08I think a lot of schools are seeing a lot more children with anxiety.
08:11Also parents with anxiety and parents who are anxious about situations that they might
08:17not have been anxious about during COVID.
08:20I think it took schools a long time, and we did have reasonable support from government
08:24in terms of COVID money, but, you know, a long time to recover and to get back to doing
08:30some of the things that we were before, and I think we shouldn't underestimate the effect
08:36of COVID on the journeys of our children.
08:39And, you know, we're kind of back to normal now, you know, our children are doing normal
08:44exams with normal, but they're not, because they've had a very different journey to children
08:49in the past, because they've missed all those gaps.
08:52Yeah.
08:52So, yeah, that's been a huge thing.
08:56I mean, I can speak from this school, you know, COVID was a test, but, boy, how the resilience
09:03of our community and the school and the children was just phenomenal.
09:07Yeah.
09:08And have you been umming and ahhing about the decision to leave, you know, is it?
09:15You had a plan, and you were enacting that plan.
09:19Yeah, and I mean, you know, everyone's saying, is it hard?
09:22You've been here 33 years.
09:24Yeah.
09:24And in some ways it is, and in some ways it's not.
09:28Well, yeah, there's that emotional attachment, but then there is that, I've done 33 years,
09:33come on.
09:34Yeah, I think I deserve a bit of space and a bit of time to go and do things that, you
09:39know, I love to do.
09:40Yeah.
09:41I think everybody knows, you know, working in a school, whether it be teaching, LSA,
09:46working on site, being the head teacher, whatever you do, it's a vocation.
09:50Everybody goes above and beyond, you know, this is something very special, and I'm looking
09:56forward to not having, you know, that workload, that level of stress, I guess.
10:02Yeah.
10:02And I'm just relaxing.
10:04It'll feel very strange wearing it on that last day when you walk out, if you know what
10:08I mean, just to think I won't be...
10:09Yeah, I'm trying not to think about it.
10:11Yeah.
10:12There's obviously something afoot for the last day, because there's lots of people talking
10:16about me.
10:16A lot of whispering in corridors.
10:18Yeah, and I'm going into offices and, you know, and they're kind of shutting it down.
10:21We used to have this thing, and that's why we chose that syllabus.
10:25So you always know if you go into a room and somebody says that, they've been talking about
10:27something else.
10:27Something like that, yeah, yeah.
10:29So, yeah, I'm not sure what's coming up.
10:32And so with all this extra spare time you're going to have, what's kind of the plan?
10:36How are you going to fill it?
10:36What do you like to do, you know, outside of school?
10:40I sing.
10:41Do you?
10:42Yeah.
10:42I sing in the choir.
10:43I am debating.
10:44Oh, okay.
10:45Yeah, yeah.
10:45You know, whether or not Benidorm can cope with another performer.
10:48Yeah.
10:49Yeah.
10:51Yeah, I've got loads of instruments that I bought during COVID.
10:55Yeah.
10:55That I'd like to learn to play.
10:57What sort of instruments?
10:58Oh, a whole range.
10:59A whole range of it.
11:00I got completely carried away.
11:01Yeah.
11:02And you're into your travelling.
11:04You like your travelling.
11:05I'm going to be doing quite a lot of travelling.
11:06Yeah.
11:07I might do a little bit of work.
11:09Yeah.
11:09And of course you've got two strapping lads, haven't you?
11:12Yeah, I have.
11:12Yeah.
11:12I'm going to tell you if they see themselves on video.
11:15Yeah, I have.
11:16So I've got a lot of family stuff going on.
11:18Yeah.
11:18And, yeah, I guess the challenge when you've been doing something where your brain's been
11:25active is just to make sure my brain's active.
11:27Yeah.
11:27I'm not the kind of person that likes to sit around doing anything.
11:30So I might do some voluntary work as well.
11:33That's something I'd really like to do.
11:35Fantastic.
11:36So, yeah.
11:37Well, thank you on behalf of the Shropshire Star for all your service to the community,
11:41Sue.
11:41Yeah.
11:42Well, thank you to the Shropshire Star.
11:44Over the years, the Shropshire Star, and this is not me being cheesy, the Shropshire
11:49Star has been really fantastic with St Martin's School, particularly with me.
11:54And we thank you for the coverage that you've given us over the years as well.
12:02That's great.
12:02Well, thank you.
12:03It's a two-way thing.
12:04So let's both pat each other on the back.
12:07Cheers, Sue.
12:07All the best.
12:08Yeah, thank you.
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