AN EAST Dorset school is waving a fond farewell to two staff members with a wealth of experience this summer.

Key stage one teacher Nonny Harlow has been at Witchampton First School for 20 years, while receptionist Rachel Hopkins is retiring after 28 years.

Mrs Hopkins is part of five generations of the same family to attend the village school, as her sons, father, grandfather and great-grandmother have all been through the doors.

She said: “In those days, everyone just went to their local school.

“There wasn’t the same choice that there is now. I started working here when my sons attended. I was very lucky indeed.

“The secretary at the time leftand I stepped into the role. Over the years I have done more or less every job here apart from teaching.”

After her years of hard work Mrs Hopkins, 62, said she would be sad to say goodbye.

“It is an odd feeling,” she said. “I will miss the children and the staff terribly. Everything has changed such a lot over the years. When I first started we would use ledgers and then computers came in. The children have Netbooks now – we used to think we were really up with things when we had a calculator.”

Mrs Hopkins, who has seen eight headteachers in her time, said the school’s population had also “fluctuated dramatically” over the years.

“When I first started, we would stay until we were 11, so it was up in the 60s,” she said. At one point it dipped to the 30s, which was quite worrying. We’re back up to 55 now.”

Head Anne Duncan said both ladies would be missed, and pupils would long remember Mrs Harlow’s dramatic story-telling technique.

She said: “We have been so lucky to have Mrs Harlow and Mrs Hopkins with us. We will all miss them very much indeed.”