THE chair of governors at an inner city primary school that was recently judged outstanding is retiring, after over two decades in the role.

Rev Paul Bilton has been a governor at Farnham Primary School for 24 years, being chair for 22 of those years.

This summer he is standing down from both his role at the school and his position leading St Wilfrid’s CofE Church in Lidget Green.

Yesterday pupils and staff at the school wished him farewell with a special assembly.

Rev Bilton will shortly be moving to Northumberland, and said he will miss his role on the governing body, despite the demands it brought.

Last April Ofsted inspectors visited the school, on Stratford Road, Little Horton, and described it as a school that “oozed quality.”

Many of the pupils are of Pakistani heritage, and almost all speak English as an additional language, but inspectors said the school excelled in bringing pupils up to desired educational standards. Lifting the school from good at its last inspection to outstanding, they said: “Farnham Primary School is a special place to be.”

Rev Bilton has been recognised for his hard work at the school before, in 2016 he was shortlisted for the first Governor of the Year Award at the Telegraph & Argus School Awards.

Rev Bilton said: “Once we got past the SATS this year I thought it was a good time to stand down, as it starts to get a bit quiet for the governing body.

“The children don’t really know what I do, but they all recognise me. It is not always easy to explain what a governor does to a child as most work is done behind the scenes.

“I am going to miss the school, I’ve been here a long time, and I’ve worked with the staff to get the good result. With the school being outstanding, I know I’m leaving it in secure hands.

“It is one of those jobs where when you take it, everyone is happy to let you get on with it. It has been a great privilege.”

Head Richard Edwards said: “He has been a fantastic chair of governors. He’s been there whenever I’ve needed him, and he has worked closely with parents and staff.

“He’s been here for the difficult times and celebrations and has been a constant source of encouragement as we’ve gone from a school requiring improvement to outstanding.

“He has challenged and supported me in equal measure. He will be sorely missed and we wish him all the very best.”

He stood down from his role at St Wilfrid’s last month, and the church is now being run by John Babington, who also runs St John’s in Great Horton.