Fun-filled week for school’s milestone

Staff showed children report cards, old photos and certificates from yesteryear and helped them plant trees to mark the milestone.

Assistant headteacher Celia Smith said: “The children really enjoyed it. They have seen how the school has grown from how it started out in 1988 with just 163 pupils to the 230 it has now.

“It gave them an opportunity to seen how the exterior and interior has changed and developed and to understand the kinds of activities children took part in before, through memorabilia.

“There were also some comments, like ‘what, you did not have computers then?’”

Children gathered photos and wrote an article about present-day life in the school, which they placed in a time capsule.

This was buried near the specially planted oak tree and marked with a plaque at the rear of the school, while two cherry blossoms were planted at the front.

But fun was had by adults too. Past pupils from the school’s very first classes were invited to the school for a social evening and reminisced about times gone by.

Parents were invited to a football tournament, while staff joined the children for a whole-school picnic.

Said Ms Smith: “That was really lovely - especially for the supervisors because they do not often get the chance to relax with the children and chat with them.

“It was just really informal and enjoyable.”

The end of the festive week was finally signalled with a barbecue and school disco.

Ms Smith, who has worked at the school for nine years, said: “Even during my time there have been changes - especially to the technology we now use.”