Whilst students are returning to Caistor Grammar School, a quartet of four long serving teachers who between them have given 91 years of service to the school, are off doing other things after taking retirement.

Former head of maths, Peter Taylor - known throughout the school as PT - spend his entire 37 year teaching career at Caistor Grammar

In that time the school has doubled in size and when asked whether the school was better now, his diplomatic reply was 'not better, just different!'

As chairman of the British Table Tennis Association for the Disabled, he has been busy planning for the Paralympics that follow the Olympics in Beijing, so will barely have time to miss the school work!

He coaches table tennis for the Market Rasen Table Tennis Club and will be playing for them in the Grimsby League next year.

Having been left him with a paralysed calf muscle and ankle from polio at the age of one, he got involved in disabled table tennis in 1986, representing Great Britain in the game internationally, winning a bronze medal in a team event and playing in the 1988 Paralympics in South Korea.

Peter said:" Now I’m free from the administration and teaching involved as head of maths, I’m able to devote more time to table tennis. With London 2012 looming, it is going to be a very important period for disability table tennis."

Keith Liddle, head of physics and Hansard House, has also retired after 22 years as a most supportive and enthusiastic member of staff, developing new courses and leading Hansard House’s ongoing success.

Known as The Colonel, many a student has discovered there is no messing with Mr Liddle. But underneath that, he has a caring heart of gold which will be very much missed.

Judy Wood retired after 18 years at the school, nearly half of them as head of the English department.

She has been an inspirational and outstanding practitioner, leading a thrivingtradition of public speaking.

Judy looks forward to not having mountains of work to mark and being able to help her husband on the farm or in the brewing department and to enjoy the 'gap year' which she never had.

Ros Christian, a part-time special needs support teacher retired after 14 years as an invaluable support to those with whom she has worked; her compassion and caring commonsense often helping troubled students to see life in a more positive way.

Headteacher Roger Hale wished them all a long and happy retirement and thanked them for their service to the school.