Popular Lancashire head teacher Graeme Dow - head of Anchorsholme Academy - retires after 37 years in teaching

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A long-serving head teacher on the Fylde coast has retired.

Graeme Dow, 59. led Anchorsholme Academy for 18 years and was the longest-serving head teacher in the school’s history.

His retirement also brought the curtain down on 37 years in the teaching profession.

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The Anchorsholme school, on Eastpines Drive, said goodbye to Mr Dow with a special school assembly on his last day at the school on Friday.

Graema Dow has retired as head teacher of Ancorhsholme Academy and from the teaching professionGraema Dow has retired as head teacher of Ancorhsholme Academy and from the teaching profession
Graema Dow has retired as head teacher of Ancorhsholme Academy and from the teaching profession | National World

There was also a memorable farewell evening event last Tuesday which was attended by staff, school governors and past pupils.

As well as his long-standing role at Anchorsholme, Mr Dow had previously been head teacher at Bispham Endowed Academy and Revoe Primary School, where at one point he was the youngest head in the country.

During his time at Anchorsholme, the school enjoyed a string of impressive OFSTED reports but Mr Dow said this had been down to the remarkable teamwork and overall effort of staff at the school.

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He also enjoyed a successful tenure as leader of the school choir, which enjoyed a number of competition successes, including champions of the county in the Last Choir Singing competition. On his final day in the job, Mr Dow said: “I haven’t had a day off work in the past 36 years in the profession and that’s because I have loved the job, it has never seemed like a chore.

Anchorsholme Academy head teacher, Graeme Dow,  in the classroom back in 2021Anchorsholme Academy head teacher, Graeme Dow,  in the classroom back in 2021
Anchorsholme Academy head teacher, Graeme Dow, in the classroom back in 2021 | National World

“Trying to give children the best start in life, through education, has always been my mission and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here at Anchorsholme and the other schools I have been.

“I hve enjoyed leading the brilliant team we have here at Anchosholme and it has been a priveldge to work with them.

“It is the right time to retire because I think it is a younger person’s game to bring the sort of energy required to do justice to the challenges in the role.”

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Mr Dow said it would be strange to retire because, counting his time at school, sixth form and university, as well as his various teaching jobs, he had been in education since he was four years old back in 1969.

He now intends to enjoy a period of relaxation and the chance to dedicate more time to one of his chief hobbies, writing music.

Mr Dow, who was a pupil at the former Warbreck Boys School in Blackpool, now mixed high school, Academy, is married and lives in Poulton.

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