David Hughes Retires from his Role as Head Teacher of Thornlie Primary School

That the Parliament congratulates David Hughes, head teacher of Thornlie Primary School in Wishaw, who is retiring from his role, following a distinguished career in children’s education; believes that during his 20 years as head teacher at Thornlie Primary, David, who is a fellow of the Scottish College for Educational Leadership, has been an outstanding leader whose unique and insightful approach to children’s learning saw the school transformed into one of the best schools in Scotland, as was documented in the 2011 HMIE report, with The Daily Record asking “is this the best wee school in Scotland?”; understands that under David’s leadership, the school received the highest ratings in Scotland for a school its size and catchment area; believes that David has created a positive learning environment where staff can give the very best of themselves to their pupils, enabling them to flourish; recognises that in his role as head teacher mentor at North Lanarkshire Council, David is dedicated to passing on his knowledge, experience and lessons learned, to others in head teacher positions; considers that what it sees as David’s ongoing commitment and dedication to promote the positive impact of outdoor learning, has transformed the learning experience for children; believes that at the heart of this transformation is David’s devotion to supporting children to be confident and happy learners by providing a child-centred, safe and positive learning environment; understands that for the past 20 years, David has dreamt, slept, imagined and led Thornlie Primary School to the thriving position it is in today; thanks David for his service, and wishes him a healthy and happy retirement from his role at Thornlie, which has been dedicated to transforming the lives of young people.