A Farnham teaching assistant is preparing to retire and say goodbye to a school after 32 years.

That means 32 Nativity plays, 32 harvest festivals, 32 sports days, and almost 1,000 children under her care.

Liz Craven joined Badshot Lea Village Infant School in September 1994.

“I started off as a dinner lady but I then was asked to support an autistic boy and after that I was asked to become a teaching assistant (TA) in reception. Later I moved to Mars class which has the younger year one children in it.”

Liz has seen many changes over the years. She has worked under three heads – Shalini Norman, Jan Weir and the current head, Gemma Ball – and been in assorted classes as renovations were made, including turning the former swimming pool building into a reception class called Sky.

The curriculum has evolved and so has a TA’s role. “TAs used to do more arty crafty work, but now I take my groups for phonics or am involved in interventions when a child needs more support in an area.

“When I started, we taught the children to write in cursive script but now we don’t, and everything is much faster paced than it used to be, there is more to fit in. The children do really enjoy all the topics we do and it is amazing to see how much they develop over a year as their confidence grows and they learn to do things for themselves.”

It won’t be just Liz who will be feeling emotional when she leaves. Her friends at the school will too. “She has brought a calm, consistent presence to the school,” said Gemma Ball.

“She has so much knowledge of the curriculum and of everything here and the children love her. She is an all-round wonderful egg and we will miss her hugely.”