ONE of the longest serving headmasters in the borough is to end his distinguished term as the boss of St Gabriel's High School.

Having chalked up nearly 23 years as head of the Roman Catholic comprehensive, Mr Paul Hopkins has formally announced his retirement from the prominent position.

He will leave the £65,000-a-year post at the end of the school year in July.

Married with two sons and a daughter, Mr Hopkins qualified as a teacher at Manchester University 36 years ago and spent the next 13 years teaching history at St Peter's Grammar School in the city.

In 1979 he was appointed deputy head of St Gabriel's and was instrumental in helping the school change from being a secondary modern to fully comprehensive.

A year later he took over as headteacher and in 2001 he was awarded the OBE for his services to education in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

Thousands of local children have passed through the school gates during Mr Hopkins' headship, notably TV star Lisa Riley and Hearsay's Suzanne Shaw.

Mr Hopkins said: "The time is right. It has been a long time as head but a very, very enjoyable one.

"I will miss the community spirit that is evident at St Gabriel's. The staff, pupils and parents have been supportive throughout my time here."

Mr Hopkins plans to remain a resident in the Bury area but has admitted that he has not really thought about the consequences of retiring.

He said: "I have not really thought about what I intend to do come the end of July. All I can think about is making sure the school keeps running."

The 59-year-old's post has been advertised in the education section of The Times.