FOUR hundred and twenty pupils at one of the county’s top primary schools turned up with plates piled with homemade cakes and buns yesterday for a mammoth street party to mark the retirement of their popular headmaster.

It will be James Astbury’s last day on Friday after 27 years as head of Butlers Court School in Wattleton Road, Beaconsfield.

Tuesday’s tea party in the playground was part of a lengthy programme of special events organised by governors and staff to say goodbye to 63 year old Mr Astbury at the end of his 40 year teaching career.

On Monday he was guest of honour at a reception in the school hall attended by bigwigs from County Hall,  education bosses and fellow head teachers in the local liaison group.

Highlight of the afte rnoon was the concert by the school orchestra. Ten year old Year 5 pupil Aaron Rozanski, a violinist with the National Youth Orchestra, got a standing ovation for his stirring performance without music of the bird movement from Vivaldi’s Concerto in A Minor.

The events to honour the headmaster kicked off in June with a ball for more than 400 parents, ex-parents, governors, friends and Mr Astbury’s family. Dancing in a marquee on the school playing fields went on until four in the morning.

Meanwhile the governors have entertained the head to dinner at Stoke Park and this week there are more surprises lined up for the boss at the leavers’ ceremony on Thursday and the final school assembly of the summer term on Friday.  He has already been given a year’s membership of the Royal Opera House and a set of garden furniture embellished with a plaque to remind of his quarter century (and more) at Butlers Court.

Even after the final goodbyes on Friday , there’ll be one more tribute to the dedication of one of Buckinghamshire’s most highly regarded teachers - he and his wife Kathy have been invited to tea with the Queen at next Tuesday’s royal garden party at Buckingham Palace.

He summed up: “I’ve always said Choose the job you love and you won’t have to work another day. I couldn’t have chosen a more rewarding career. I trained and taught at my first school in the West Midlands, then went out to the Bahamas and taught there for ten years during which I met my wife and now I’ve had 27 wonderful years at Butlers Court.  I couldn’t have wished for anything more.”

Assistant head Nicola Bertolone said everyone connected with the school wanted to chip in to give Mr Astbury a fitting send-off. “The staff have all enjoyed working with him. We feel very lucky to have had him as head.”

“It won’t really sink in until September,” admitted the departing boss. “When I get in the car and automatically head for Wattleton Road I’ll suddenly realise I don’t have a school to go to.”

Jeanette Marshall, the new head who starts in September, will have a tough act to follow.