1 Inspirational head teacher Jean Leeming, who died last year aged 96, helped some of Scotland’s poorest children and families make the most of education, and shaped the careers of countless young colleagues who admired and respected her compassionate, informative and fun training sessions.

2 Born Jean Kerr in Old Drumchapel in 1924, she lived with her mother Margaret, father William, who worked for the Clyde Port Authority, and younger brother, Douglas, who died in 2018 aged 93. She was a pupil of Glasgow High School for Girls. In March 1941, her family home suffered a direct hit during the Clydebank Blitz, and she was twice evacuated, first to Perthshire and then to Lesmahagow.

Glasgow Times: Rescue squads desperately searching for survivors after an enemy raid on Clydebank, in which nearly 500 enemy bombers took part in 1941.

3 Jean always wanted to be a teacher and after qualifying from Jordanhill College in 1945 aged 20, she went on to work in primary schools in Glasgow and Paisley. In 1948, she married Bill, a Lancashire man who was working as a textile technologist in Coats’ cotton mill in Paisley. Jean gave up work to raise her daughter, Marlyn, but returned when Bill fell ill with a lung condition. He sadly died in 1965.

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4 Despite offers of promotion to senior positions in the education department at the former Strathclyde Region, Jean preferred to remain working in schools, closer to the pupils and teachers she was passionate about supporting. As head of the primary section of West School and the then Maxwellton Primary she had a huge impact. Between 1973 and 1988 she became primary adviser in Strathclyde Region committed to developing teachers’ skills. She worked all over Scotland and was considered an expert in creative arts education.

5 In her spare time, Jean was a member of The Embroiderers’ Guild and a friend of Scottish Opera, and she loved to travel.