Fond farewell as pair leave the classroom

Peter Wood (left) and Gary Hulme.

TWO teachers have retired after chalking up a total of 75 years in the classroom and on the sports field at Hulme Grammar School.

PE teacher Peter Wood taught at the independent school in Werneth for 44 years - working under seven headmasters - before retiring at the end of term.

But he actually has a 51-year association with Hulme as he was also a pupil there - a record which is unlikely to be beaten.

Colleague Gary Hulme has also retired after 31 years at the school, 13 as director of music.

Mr Wood, 65, who lives in Uppermill, did his teacher training at St John's College, York, and said: "I went from school to college and then came back again. It was just a pure coincidence that a vacancy arose when I was coming out of college."

He joined Hulme as a PE teacher before being appointed director of boys' PE in 1988 and then teaching part-time for the last eight years.

In that time, the school had many sporting successes and he taught a number of talented pupils, including QPR captain and former Manchester City footballer Nedum Onuoha.

"I have enjoyed every minute of it. To be able to do sport as a career when it is something you love - it's not really a hardship," said Mr Wood, who is looking forward to spending more time on the golf course and travelling with his wife.

"The highlights have been improving the sports facilities and working to make the boys realise their sporting potential."

Mr Hulme, 55, studied privately before becoming a music teacher at Hulme in 1985, director of music at the boys' school in 2003 and overall director of music when the boys' and girls' senior schools merged in 2011.

"It has been a great place to work and we have had some great times musically," said Mr Hulme, who lives in Royton and is organist at Prestwich Parish Church in Bury.

"They have included Carmina Burana by Carl Orff and Hot Mikado, a jazz version of the Gilbert and Sullivan musical."