05 October 2011
Le Rocquier head teacher Richard Rolfe will be leaving the school at the end of October so that he can recover from the effects of ongoing treatment for cancer.
Mr Rolfe, who is now in his ninth year at the States secondary, was diagnosed with cancer in May 2010 after a routine health check.
“I am immensely proud of Le Rocquier and I absolutely love my job but I have been finding it hard to balance running a school of 1000 students and staff with the medical treatment I had to have. I have thought long and hard about my next decision and, although I am now feeling a little better than I was last year, I know I really need to spend some time resting and recuperating,” said Mr Rolfe.
The current deputy head, Phil Slater, will take over as acting head teacher until a permanent successor is appointed in 2012. Mr Rolfe’s last day at the school will be 31 October.
“It has been a privilege to work with the exceptional young people at Le Rocquier and I would like to thank them and their families for their support. I have also been blessed with an outstanding group of colleagues who are hardworking, dedicated and highly professional,” added Mr Rolfe.
“Le Rocquier has much to celebrate and we have worked hard to create an environment where the expectations and standards are high and where students are motivated to achieve the best they can. This summer our students exceeded expectations based on their CAT scores, which measure ability.”
Director of Education Mario Lundy said: “Richard Rolfe has been an inspirational leader of Le Rocquier and has overseen the transformation of the school. He has always maintained a focus on the best interests of his pupils and this has been at the heart of everything he has achieved. He leaves behind a secondary school that is not only a vibrant, exciting place to learn but one that is highly regarded by the community it serves.”
Mr Rolfe originally trained as an accountant and moved into teaching in 1988. After working at several schools in the UK, he moved to Jersey in 2003 to take up the headship at Le Rocquier. Under his leadership the school has won numerous high-profile awards and in 2006 it moved to new buildings on the St Clement site. The changes introduced by Mr Rolfe include:
- a new vocational curriculum including electrical, plumbing, painting and decorating courses
- little Rocq school-within-a-school to help year 7 students make the transition from primary to secondary
- a house system including prefects, a head boy and head girl
- a summer prom for school leavers
- blazers as part of the school uniform
- a summer school to help improve students’ confidence with their learning
gov.je