Market Field School headteacher Gary Smith to retire

The creaking joints betray Gary Smith telling him despite his devotion to his work, at 65, he must slow down.

Mr Smith is set to retire as executive head teacher of Market Field special school at the end of the term and admits he has mixed feelings.

“I will miss this place,” he said. “My work life will change completely. I am a bit scared, to be honest, and a bit sad but also a bit excited.”

It is the thought of leaving the children which is the hardest, one he is still clearly struggling to come to terms with.

But while his day-to-day job as headteacher is coming to an end, his life’s work of ensuring there is a better future for children with moderate learning difficulties is far from over.

Mr Smith will continue to work for the Hope Learning Community of which he is chief executive in the strategic role of ensuring there are opportunities for the children after they leave school.

The multi-academy trust covers three special schools in Essex - Market Field in Elmstead Market and Southview and Chatten free schools in Witham.

As dedicated as Mr Smith is to these schools, he has always maintained school is just one part of the journey, hence the determination to create a sixth form college for children with moderate learning difficulties which is now established in Clacton.

The next stage is to open up opportunities for a valuable life. A café to offer employment opportunities will open at the college in September and planning permission is being sought for a farm to offer more job prospects.

Market Field Grows will also continue to flourish with its plans to plant 60,000 trees contracting former students to do the work.

The trust is well named as Mr Smith values hope above all else. It is the mantra which has driven him on throughout his career.

His journey in education began when he was 21 and became a PE teacher.

nigel brown Gary Smith, head teacher and Jamie Newstead , will be running the Sports Relief mile in wellies filled with baked beans, on Friday at Market Field School, School Road, Elmstead Market.

Born in East Ham, he had hoped to be a footballer for his beloved West Ham.

As a youngster, he could stand in his back garden and hear the Hammers fans cheering their team on.

Mr Smith was a gifted footballer, the captain of the A team for Essex School Boys (when Glenn Hoddle was captain of the B team, he points out).

But the story goes he was injured when football manager Ron Greenwood came to watch him play and he missed his chance at soccer stardom.

He did a number of jobs while studying including delivering newspapers and furniture, working at Ford’s and in the laundry department at Whipps Cross Hospital, but after finishing his languages degree, he entered the world of teaching and never left.

He was encouraged to work at a special school by his twin brother, Paul, who was also working at one in Newham.

nigel brown Head teacher Gary Smith doing the ice bucket challenge with the children throwing the water over him, on Friday at Market Field School at the former Alderman Blaxill Site, Paxman Avenue Colchester.Also pictured pouring the water are,

From there Mr Smith moved to Market Field School in Elmstead Market in 1989 to be deputy head before becoming head teacher in 1995.

It was only two years later, politicians decided his school should close. They decided all children, regardless of their ability, should be taught at mainstream schools but Mr Smith was having none of it.

“They wanted to close schools caring for children with learning difficulties,” said Mr Smith.

“They wanted them to wither on the vine and die.

“They did not refer children to us but I decided to carry on regardless. I was not going to change.

“I always thought gaining forgiveness was easier than getting permission so I just kept taking students.

“One size does not fit all.”

Twenty years on and there is now a general acknowledgement Mr Smith was right.

Market Field School is always vastly oversubscribed. In 1989, the school had 59 children on its roll but by 2010 there was 158.

The school was bursting at the seams and was forced to use temporary classrooms put up in the playground until there were so many it was nicknamed Shed City.

Mr Smith led the campaign for a new school lobbying politicians - including the Prime Minister - for funding insisting his pupils deserved a school which was fit for purpose.

In 2015, they could ignore him no longer and the new school, financed by £10 million of Essex County Council funding, opened with capacity for 200 children.

A further extension followed and today it has 329 students.

But still Mr Smith has to turn prospective students away and one of his next projects is to secure a site for another school to care for children with additional needs.

In his continued strategic role, he plans to work two to three days a week to increase provision for children with learning difficulties, address attitudes and misconceptions and increase employment opportunities.

“I will try to create better opportunities for everyone both in and after school,” he said.

“I have been asked to talk to schools. There needs to be a change in attitude and I am not afraid of being the spokesman for these children.”

Mr Smith is also looking forward to spending more time with his wife, Sarah, who has been so supportive to him for so long.

They have plans to travel including along the West Coast of America and with five children and soon-to-be two grandchildren between them, Mr Smith is looking forward to spending more time with his family.

While there is undeniable emotion about retirement, there are no regrets.

Mr Smith’s career has seen him battle the odds and win the plaudits.

He was awarded an OBE in 2018 for his services to children with special educational needs.

He admits: “I did not think it would matter to me, but it did.

“It means the school and the people in it got massive recognition for going through what we had and coming out stronger.

“I have immense pride, appreciation and joy at the achievements of the kids. There has been job satisfaction like you would not believe.

“Leaving the kids will be the hardest part but I have so much to look forward to.

“I owe a great debt of thanks to Mike Andrews who has been our chair of governors for more than 25 years and supported the school throughout.

“The school will carry on. If it doesn’t I have failed.

“I’m grateful for all I have had. If you can get up in the morning for something worthwhile, that is what life is all about.”