Mr Shaw entered the Academy's primary department as a pupil for the first time in August 1958, and has spent the last 28 years teaching at his home town school - but when we caught up with him this week he was already looking forward to the new challenges presented by his promotion to head a school with a hundred staff and nearly a thousand pupils.

"I'm very much looking forward to it," he told us. "I consider it the pinnacle of my career - to get the opportunity to lead a school is an absolute privilege.

"I will certainly miss Rothesay Academy greatly, having been a pupil and a member of staff here stretching over exactly 50 years - I began as a pupil at the Rothesay Academy Primary in August 1958.

"There is a huge amount of me invested here, and I've loved almost every moment of being here - being able to mould the fututre of our young people is a tremendous job to have, and to be able to do it in your home town has been very special to me.

"The kindness and best wishes I've received from people since the appointment have been overwhelming. I even got a spontaneous round of applause from my fourth year class - although I couldn't quite get them to say they would miss me!

"I've made a lot of good friends through the years and I have seen the successes of many of our pupils - Rothesay Academy has a proud history - five of our former pupils are now professors, and people on the island should be proud of their community school.

"If I have one regret, it's perhaps that I could somehow have managed to engage the wider parent body better. There is a golden opportunity for people here to help their children develop - if they engage with the school and bring their talents to help us help their children.

"But that is only a minor regret compated to the very many positives I can recall and the happy times I've had over the last 28 years."

Mr Shaw started his teaching career at Largs Academy in 1977, and moved back to Rothesay to fill a vacancy in the maths department when Andy Campbell retired.

Promotion to the post of principal teacher of guidance followed in 1986, and he was appointed assistant head teacher in 1989 and depute head in 1996.

Despite that experience, he's aware that there are some big shoes to fill at Dunoon Grammar, where the current rector, Joe Rhodes, is retiring after 27 years in the post.

"Joe is a well respected head teacher with a huge amount of experience," Mr Shaw said. "You can feel the affection that his staff and pupils have for him.

"Nevertheless in the two days I've spent there I felt the warmth of the welcome, and I'm very much looking forward to leading them on their journey to excellence."

Mr Shaw will continue to live in Rothesay, commuting daily via the Colintraive ferry and car-sharing with a colleague who takes the trip in the opposite direction each day.

"The commute will provide a lot of thinking time - and there will be a lot required," he continued.

"I'm looking forward to meeting a new community and a new set of people, and to seeing where the school is and mapping out their road to improvement.

"Dunoon Grammar is a good school, but good isn't good enough any more - we all have to strive for excellence."