The head teacher of Mylor Primary School will bring 28 years of service to the village and its families to a close when he retires at the end of next term.

Chris Lea, who turns 60 at Easter, will be leaving the school where he has been head since he left St Mary's School in Falmouth to take up the post, and jokes "I've done 40 odd years in education and I've been at school for 55 years."

During that time he has been seconded out to other places in need of help, but has always returned to Mylor Bridge and its community.

In that time he has seen education ministers come and go with the inevitable policy changes that entails, and seen more than a few Ofsted inspections pass through the school, but he said he has always managed to make them work for the children in his care.

He said: "I've enjoyed every single year because of the changes: not only the children coming and going but also the buildings have changed, three or four times.

"Various education ministers have had a view on how a school should be run and we have been able to accomplish those changes for the benefit of the children and the families of this very nice community."

He added: "The actual core role of my job has never changed, which is valuing every single child, making sure they are safe and well, and they learn.

"It 's always fantastic to see the progress the children make, whether the very youngest or the very oldest. And it never ceases to amaze me that we're now teaching the children of children who used to come here in the past. Another joy of the job is seeing families grow up in this community.

"Another thing we have never lost sight of is the importance of the community, whether the school or village community."

Mr Lea also lauded the "incredibly loyal, hard working and professional" staff who have "been at the centre" of the school and its community.

He said: "The school's not about me, it's about us," and added that he couldn't praise them highly enough.

Mr Lea studied to become a teacher at St Luke's College in Exeter, where he met his future wife, before returning to his home town of Ipswich to work for ten years. His wife was from Cornwall, and so he felt "very fortunate" when a teaching post came up at St Mary's, from where he transferred to Mylor.

He said: "It's been great, because my children have grown up in Cornwall and enjoyed all the benefits."

As he looks to his retirement, Mr Lea will still be working as a head teacher mentor for the Cornwall Association of Primary Heads, providing support to those who need it.

He is also retiring one month ahead of his wife, also a teacher locally, and jokes that she has "already got a list of things for me to do that I've neglected because of the school."

He added that he has "a big trip organised" to show his wife New York, as he once went for an educational visit and now wants her to see it too.

Mylor's new head teacher will be announced at the end of the week, and Mr Lea said he was "very pleased" that the governors had made "the best choice possible."