Staff and pupils at Sacred Heart Primary School in Tipton will bid their headteacher a very fond farewell when she retires at the end of term in December.

Melanie Gee has taught her entire career in schools in Sandwell since gaining her teaching degree in 1984 - a total of 34 years.

Her career began at Old Park Primary School in Wednesbury before Melanie moved to Wednesbury Oak Primary then to Hateley Heath Infant School in 1997. Following a merge of Hateley Heath infant and junior schools, Melanie was promoted to the Deputy Head post.

In January 2009, Melanie was appointed as acting headteacher at Sacred Heart Primary School initially for one term. In September 2009, Melanie was given the permanent headteacher role at Sacred Heart - then the smallest school in Sandwell with less than 100 pupils. Melanie said: 

"As I reach the end of my teaching career, I would like to say that I have always been very proud to say that I work in Sandwell, and it has been a privilege to have served the children and families of Sandwell for 34 years."

Sacred Heart Primary School moved into their brand new state-of-the-art building in 2017 and the school now has more than 335 pupils - more than three times as many compared to when Melanie first took over.