The headmaster of St Ambrose College in Hale Barns has announced his retirement.
Michael Thompson, who has held the top job at the Catholic school for 15 years, informed parents in an email seen by Altrincham Today.
He will officially leave the college at the end of the school year next summer.
Thompson said that having reached retirement age last year, it was “time now to hand over the reins to a new Head to lead the school into the next phase of its development”.
He added that the school’s governors “will now begin the process of finding my replacement and the post will be advertised soon”, and that parents would be advised when an appointment was made.
Thompson’s tenure as headmaster will be remembered largely for the building of the school’s £24m, state-of-the-art campus, which opened in 2012.
Recent years at the school have however been clouded by the court case and subsequent imprisoning of former teacher Alan Morris for sexual offences involving 10 boys between 1973 and 1990.
After the trial, Greater Manchester Police revealed that two other former teachers would “likely” have faced similar charges had they not since died.
The repercussions from the case are still being felt at the school, with two senior teachers currently suspended pending an inquiry into allegations they had known about Morris’ abuse.
There is no suggestion that Thompson’s decision to retire is linked to the Morris case in any way.
Below: Retiring headmaster Michael Thompson
