TWO prominent Fylde headteachers are leaving their schools after years of dedicated teaching.

Head Keith Clarke is moving from Collegiate High School for an exciting new job as the Director of "Excellence in Cities" for Blackpool, while Michael Payne from the Lytham St Annes Technology College is retiring.

Mr Clarke, 58, has been at Collegiate for 20 years and has been head for 13 years. His career has taken him from a maths teacher in York to head of maths in the North-East before becoming deputy head at Palatine School in Blackpool.

In 1988 he moved to Collegiate as the deputy head before taking on the headship. Now, from September 1, Mr Clarke will be part of Excellence in Cities, an exciting new £7 million government initiative to raise educational standards across Blackpool.

Mr Clarke said: "It will be a complete change in my day to day work. As headteacher I've been used to working with pupils and teachers and I think I will miss that. I'm very sad to be leaving Collegiate -- I've enjoyed my time here but the challenge of Excellence in Cities is something that I couldn't resist."

Mr Payne, 61, started teaching 40 years ago and classics has always been the subject close to his heart. He started as a classics teacher at Roundhay School in Leeds and moved to Billinge High School in Blackpool as deputy head in 1975.

After three years he went to Millfield School in Thornton Cleveleys as headteacher. In 1987 he moved to Lytham St. Annes and has watched the school develop into the fine building it is today

Mr. Payne is leaving as a result of medical advice. "I'd be very happy to stay on, particularly as the school will be in a period of flourishing in the next decade. We have really developed, especially with the opening of a new theatre and sixth form centre. But it's the people not the building that I'll really miss. I shall miss all the fresh young minds and I shall certainly miss my colleagues."

Mr Payne plans to relax and indulge his love of theatre and concerts. He also said that he intends to get his golf handicap back down to single figures!