Mr. Bickerdike, Woodham Academy’s longest serving teacher is retiring as Deputy Headteacher this summer. He first came to Woodham as a student teacher in December 1979 and was offered a job as a teacher of mathematics after his teaching practice.  Other than a fortnight teaching in a junior school in South Shields he has taught nowhere else. As a result, he has taught not only present pupils, but also many of their parents and a considerable number of grandparents too.
Mr. Bickerdike joined the Leadership Group in 1997, progressing to become Deputy Head in 2009. His responsibilities have mainly covered curriculum with timetabling and assessment with qualifications.
Mr. Morgans will take over as Deputy Head alongside Mr. Lumb in September. Fortunately, Mr. Bickerdike is not leaving Woodham Academy altogether. Next year, he will contribute to the training of the next generation of maths teachers and will deliver master classes to able mathematicians at Woodham.
Mr. Bickerdike says “I have always felt a part of the broader community and this has become even more evident to me in recent years as I meet up again with many parents (and the occasional grandparent) whom I taught early in my career. Being the “senior citizen” at Woodham Academy is really quite nice.  Both staff and students are amazingly patient with me!  I hope that I remain good value for money and that I can give the benefit of my experience, and there’s quite a lot of that. I am seriously ambitious for Woodham and its students and hope that I can contribute to the school’s further and growing success for a few years to come.”