Principal heads to Auckland

Paul Petersen. PHOTO/FILE

The principal of Wanganui's second-largest primary school is headed north for new challenges.

Paul Petersen, who has been principal of Carlton School for five years, handed in his resignation last week.

He has a job at Bombay School - near the famed start of the Auckland Southern Motorway - which he will take up early next year.

Mr Petersen said he presented an 18-point strategic plan to the board before he started at Carlton and was proud to say each point had been achieved.

"It's transformed ... we're now fully digital so every senior child has their own computing device, allowing us to change the curriculum to suit each child's need and bring true personalised learning to them for the first time.

"I'm especially proud of our two boys' classes. I've noticed a huge improvement in their engagement and their levels of achievement."

Mr Petersen said he thoroughly enjoyed working at Carlton but his wife Kirsty had been unable to find employment in Wanganui, meaning she had to commute to and from Palmerston North daily.

"I know there are similar people in town who have to make this decision, we can see it's increasingly difficult to find work."

Despite the northerly move Mr Petersen said he and his family had not seen the last of Wanganui.

"We'd like to think it's not a permanent goodbye, more of a 'see you again'. We're not going to sell our house, we'll just rent it out, as we really enjoy the town, it's got huge potential and is full of creative people."

He said because of Carlton's reputation there would be many hands raised to take over and that he would stick around to help induct the next principal.

"I take a lot of pride in what we have achieved at the school but it's been a collective effort with continuous teamwork.

"It's a wonderful place to be principal."