One of the longest serving members of staff at the Robert Manning College (now Bourne Academy) was Geoff Greatwood who spent 35 years teaching and an estimated 6,000 students who passed through his classroom. He joined Bourne Secondary School in 1972 teaching mathematics and physical education, being appointed head teacher in 2001 following the departure of Michael Kee.

Before his appointment, he was successively head of department, head of year, head of upper college and deputy head and during this period, the school expanded considerably. When he arrived there were 18 staff and 400 pupils but by the time he retired in 2007 there were 76 teachers and 133 staff, including teaching assistants and administrative workers, and almost 1,200 pupils.

Looking back over his career, Mr Greatwood said that not only had staff numbers risen but achievement levels had also gone up over the decades and this was clearly a source of pride for all. He went on: "Standards have improved and aspirations of pupils were much greater than years ago. Change has been inevitable, mainly through the rapid emergence of new technologies which have rapidly altered teaching and the skills needed to be taught."

The future was also a different prospect for pupils, he said. "There are fewer unskilled jobs than in the past and everyone is looking for a highly skilled job. The workplace they will be entering is a lot more technical than before and youngsters need to be better prepared. Many of the jobs they will be doing in 40 years' time have not even been invented yet."

Mr Greatwood was originally from Frome, Somerset, and worked for a spell in the London borough of Mitcham from 1970 until 1973 when he moved to Bourne, intending to stay for only two or three years before moving back to the West Country but soon became involved in community activities and so decided to stay. He retired from teaching at the end of the summer term in 2007.

He is married to Brenda, who formerly worked as a teacher at Bourne Grammar School, and they have two daughters, Louise and Hannah, who were both pupils there. Mr Greatwood continues as a trustee of Bourne United Charities, where he also served as chairman (2008-09), and as an honorary member of both the town's football and cricket clubs.

See also Bourne Academy