28
Nov
Tributes to visionary headteacher who made Harrogate’s largest primary school 'outstanding'
Tributes have been paid tribute to former Western Primary School headteacher Tim Broad, who has died after a short illness.
Mr Broad dedicated 25 years to Harrogate's largest primary school and helped to secure its most recent ‘outstanding’ assessment by Ofsted.
He stepped down in August this year and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last month, aged 62. It had spread to his liver and became too aggressive for treatment.
Western deputy headteacher Claire Magill, who worked alongside Mr Broad for many years, said:
Tim dedicated an incredible 25 years of his life to the children, families, and community at Western Primary School. Throughout his distinguished career, he wore many hats – as a teacher, a leader, and, in the final five years, as our inspirational headteacher. His unwavering commitment to the school and its values was evident in everything he did.
Tim led with a rare combination of warmth, kindness, and compassion, making every person he encountered feel seen, heard, and valued. He was not just a leader, but a mentor and a friend to many. His genuine care for the wellbeing of both pupils and staff created a school community rooted in respect, trust, and a shared commitment to excellence.
Ms Magill said Mr Broad’s leadership was instrumental in securing the school’s most recent ‘outstanding’ Ofsted grade, which she described as “a testament to his vision, dedication, and relentless pursuit of the best for every child”.
She added:
But his impact went far beyond academic success. Tim’s legacy is one of nurturing potential, building confidence, and fostering a love of learning that will stay with his pupils long after they have left the school gates.
Tim was greatly respected and loved by all who had the privilege of working with him. His loss leaves a profound void in our hearts, but his influence will continue to resonate in the countless lives he touched – from the children he inspired, to the staff he supported, to the families he worked with.
As a community, we are devastated by his passing, but we are also inspired by his spirit of generosity and care. In his memory, we encourage you to support the incredible fundraising effort being led by his children, which aims to raise awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer.
Children aim to raise £100,000
Mr Broad’s children Jess and Jack are now trying to raise £100,000 for the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, which funds research into early diagnosis and aims to double survival rates within five years.
They have already raised more than £14,000.
They said in a post online:
In October 2024, our wonderful dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 62. Despite being healthy and fit his entire life, the cancer had already spread to his liver and quickly became too aggressive for treatment to be a viable option.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the rarest and most difficult to treat forms of cancer, with a very low survival rate mostly due to the fact that it has very few recognisable symptoms and is very hard to detect in its early stages.
That is why we have decided to honour dad by raising as much money as possible for Pancreatic Cancer UK, a charity that funds research into early diagnosis and aims to double survival rates within the next 5 years. In order to do this, we will be completing the UK three peaks 24-hour challenge in support of Pancreatic Cancer UK.
We chose this challenge because we have both climbed all three of these mountains before with dad. We can attribute so many life skills, childhood memories and love for the outdoors from the adventures we went on with dad as kids which is why we feel that this challenge is so close to our hearts and the best possible way to honour dad.
Please help us raise as much money as possible to fight pancreatic cancer and create a more promising future for other patients and their families. Any donation, no matter how small or large, will encourage us on every step of our challenge and make a huge difference for pancreatic cancer patients all over the world. If you can't donate, please share our message and the link to this fundraising page to help us reach as many people as possible. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
You can support the appeal here.
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