A DEDICATED headteacher who has led a school for 30 years has been recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours.

Gary Smith, head at Elmstead Market’s Market Field School, will receive an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, or OBE, for his services to children with special educational needs.

The 61-year-old has overseen the regularly oversubscribed school, which educates children with special needs, through its most successful years and helped bring about a purpose-built building and the addition of a sixth form college.

Mr Smith said: “I am a bit speechless because I just do my job. It is a bit unbelievable for me but I am over the moon about it.

“One of the kids the other day told me they were writing a letter to the Queen about me. To have the kids doing something like that is enough for me. I am very proud and I did not expect to be getting anything like this.”

On January 4, Mr Smith celebrates the 30th anniversary of becoming head, so the honour has come at a timely moment.

He said: “I do absolutely love my job. When I started there was 69 kids at the school and now there are more than 300 with the sixth form.

“There has been a massive amount of change but it has been fantastic.

“We are going to hold a reunion for the 30th anniversary and have a big party which will tie in nicely with the OBE.”

Last year, Market Field opened its sixth form college, something the head had been lobbying for since 1999.

Mr Smith, who lives in Elmstead with his wife Sarah and has five children, said: “Getting the new building was a big bonus and opening the sixth form has always been an ambition.

“But my proudest achievement is seeing special schools recognised now for what they do. I am proud to be a part of that.”

He has no plans for retirement, and Mr Smith is fully focused on further developing the school.

He said: “The ambition was to get the college and now we have that we are trying to develop the next step when kids with learning difficulties leave education.

“Improving that would be the icing on the cake for my career.”

He added: “I want to say a big thank to anyone who has had anything to do with the school over the years and all of the kids.”