A much-loved headteacher has had to retire following a bout of ill health.
Malvina Sanders has been forced to resign from her post at Cardinal Newman Catholic School after being on long-term sick leave for the past 15 months.
Charles Wookey, the school’s chairman of governors, wished her well following nearly two decades at the school.
He said: “We are all very sad that Mrs Sanders has decided to leave.
“She made a tremendous contribution to the life of the school over the 17 years she spent here – 11 as deputy head and the last six as headteacher.
“Her focus on teaching and learning led to the school’s best ever GCSE results in 2012, which were the best in Brighton and Hove last year.
“She organised a great celebration for the school’s 40th anniversary in 2011 and she will be sorely missed.”
Dr James Kilmartin has been acting headteacher since Mrs Sanders became ill.
Decades of work
The governors hope to appoint a permanent replacement for her by September.
Mrs Sanders had big boots to fill when she became headteacher at the Old Shoreham Road school in 2008, with the school having just received a glowing Ofsted report under previous head Peter Evans.
She had worked in education for more than 30 years having originally qualified at the University of Sussex before working as a French teacher at Falmer High in Brighton, Portslade Community College and Westergate Community School in Chichester before a spell as an adviser in Dorset.
She later became deputy head at Ringmer Community College before moving to Cardinal Newman.
Mrs Sanders also brought in a ban on energy drinks in 2009 and a crackdown on bad parking outside the school in 2011.
Send your messages of support to Mrs Sanders or your memories of her time at the school to peter.truman@theargus.co.uk.
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