A PRIMARY school teacher will retire today after nearly four decades at St Joseph’s in Newport.

Judith Llewellyn has been a teacher at the Roman Catholic primary school for 38 years.

She said: "Starting here and finishing at the same place is quite a feat these days.

"But from the first day I knew I was somewhere pretty special. The atmosphere, the children and the staff – it’s like having an extended family."

Mrs Llewellyn gained a chemistry degree at St Mary’s University, London. Although she was qualified to be a secondary teacher, her passion was always with primary school children.

"Science was a relatively new subject in primary schools when I began," she added.

"I’ve worked through lots of head teachers, but the children remain the same. They have that special ethos about them.

"I’ve never thought of going anywhere else. It’s been superb."

In her retirement, Mrs Llewellyn hopes to enjoy the finer things in life, and would love the opportunity to go travelling with her husband.

"I’d like to go on a cruise to see as much of the world as possible," Mrs Llewellyn added. "I have a lot of hobbies to pursue like some art, gardening and cooking. The things I couldn’t get the chance to do before."