A HEADTEACHER who spent his early years in Barrow has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Glyn Potts, the headteacher at Newman RC College in Oldham, has been awarded an MBE for his services to Education and the Army Cadet Force.

The 43-year-old was in the Army Cadet Force from the age of 18 and was a Lieutenant Colonel in the North West region before deciding to follow a career in education.

The head teacher’s work to establish the best outcomes for pupils and staff at Newman RC College, which progressed from an ‘Inadequate’ Ofsted rating to ‘Good’ due to his leadership, has been recognised with the MBE.

Mr Potts lived in Barrow until the age of three and a lot of his family remain in the town.

The family moved to Manchester in 1988 but Mr Potts always vowed to return to Barrow in his later years, after spending every summer and Christmas in the town.

He said: “I’ve always called Barrow home. My family home was on Nelson Street and I have relatives on Holker Street, we always spent the six-week summer holidays in Barrow and travelled there for Christmas.

“It was always my intention to eventually move back there.

“I’m very proud to be from there – I think it’s a great town. I do think Barrow has so much going for it.”

Mr Potts, who has a two-year-old son, began teaching in a school in Oldham in 2004 and fell in love with the profession.

He joined the senior leadership team in 2007, becoming the deputy head in 2013 and was promoted to headteacher in 2018.

Mr Potts was informed earlier this year that he was due to receive the award, however, he was sworn to secrecy until the news was officially announced in June.

The honour acknowledges Mr Potts’ success in navigating a large school and staff body through the pandemic while ensuring outstanding care.

Mr Potts was also commended for managing the school’s unprecedented building deficiencies which have caused substantial damage to the building, flooding, and at times, school closures.

During his career Mr Potts has also forged strong partnerships with the Cadet Vocational Qualifications Organisation, pioneering highly successful Public Services programmes in state sector schools, as well as the growth of an Army Cadet detachment.

Mr Potts said he felt ‘very humbled’ after being told he would be a recipient of the esteemed honour.

He said: “I felt very humbled. People have said to me that they didn’t think people like us could get MBEs – they thought it was just celebrities or millionaires.

“I’m able to do this because I have a team around me who are phenomenal. It feels embarrassing for just me to go along when it represents a whole team of people.

“There are so many people in education or voluntary roles who give so much and to be one of the few recognised is an enormous honour.”