Greg Crawford with Pooles Park pupils

THE headteacher at a school saved from closure has announced he is retiring from the post.

Greg Crawford has been in charge at Pooles Park Primary School in Finsbury Park for more than 20 years.

It was earmarked for closure by the Town Hall but academy sponsors, The Bridge, announced last week it was taking it over and keeping it open.

Describing what he saw as his role at Pooles Park, the 63-year-old said: “I think it’s providing the community with what they want. Refugees arrive with a huge commitment to education. The local community who are not refugees also have a big commitment to education – and if that’s what they want, that’s what we provide. I don’t want to mention Ofsted, the proof is where they are now.”

The closure plan for the school came after a poor Ofsted report and falling rolls across the borough. As part of a five-year plan, education chiefs intend to reduce places at schools to stop them missing out on per-pupil funding. The academy takeover at Pooles Park could lead to a different school closing, the council has said.

Mr Crawford insisted his school was a success, despite what Ofsted had said.

“You know, we’ve got a family of 10 where the oldest son’s a doctor, the second one is training as a doctor, another one’s a nurse,” he said, adding the work the school does with the family allows the pupil space to build and grow.

“These ex-pupils who are now doctors and nurses wouldn’t have been so necessarily without the pastoral care they got from Maggie [Ryan, pastoral care manager] and staff like her. So it’s very important to look after the whole family. We don’t just teach the child. We look after the whole family, and that benefits everyone.”

He praised the parents’ campaign to save Pooles Park, which he believes was instrumental in keeping it open. But how will he feel as he packs up his room after so many years in the job?

“I feel very proud and I feel very emotional,” he said. “I enjoyed every day, every single day. Every day is different. Our parents come with all sorts of issues, some of which we know what to do, because we are teachers, others we have not a clue what to do, but we find some­body who can, and that’s why they’re so committed to the school, I think.”

Assistant head Laura Corrick, who joined on the same day as Mr Crawford, said “there’s a reason people like me stay for 20 years”, adding: “He’s always here for everybody and, through the difficult times, he’s the person you want behind you, backing you up.”

A Shakespeare obsessive who listens to audio books on the Metropolitan line as he travels to and from his home in Rickmansworth, Mr Crawford said he now plans to take up other leadership roles.