Terry O'Toole 1946-2000

Headtecher - North Kesteven School 1986-2000

Terry died suddenly whilst out jogging on 7th September 2000 dealing a devastating blow to his wife, two sons and the whole of the school community at NKS.

Terry O'Toole arrived at the school in 1983 as a newly appointed Deputy Head, having previously been Head of English at Carlton-le-Willows School in Nottinghamshire, although it was in History that he had graduated from Warwick University in 1969.

He became headteacher in 1986, a role for which he became universally esteemed and respected.

In his 14 years as Head he turned NKS into a modern, successful, outward-looking school of national repute, widely popular and annually oversubscribed. The September of his death had seen the school become a specialist school in the performing arts. A man committed to the Arts and to the idea of community the crowning glory of his work at the school was to be the new performing arts centre. His death was made all the more tragic by the fact that he was never to his dream realised.

However, his most enduring gift to the school is the triumph of comprehensive education based on an enduring principle that:

'all students are of equal worth and are entitled to equal access to the very best teaching delivered through the very best resources and facilities'

This theatre is a testament to the continuation of all Terry stood for and believed in.