So two days ago I said my farewells; I went into the school for the last time (as a member of staff) and was able to spend some time with my colleagues and then to say goodbye.

The school I worked at was on the top of a hill, there’s a formidable driveway leading up to the school. I had walked up and down that driveway so many times, it was one thing that I really associated with the school, and one thing I have been saying over the last year was that I wanted to walk down that drive for the last time.

I was grateful for the opportunity to go in, to say goodbye, to walk down the drive for a final time, to go to the local pub for a pint – as I have done on many Friday afternoons and many ends of term.

It was a really positive experience, I’m not sure it would have been a few months or even a few weeks ago. I needed those 17 months to accept what has happened, decisions that were made. I may not have been grateful for the time as it was happening but at the end I was and it allowed me to have a positive memory.