To mark their 50-year anniversary, staff and children at Winsley Primary School held a day of celebration and learned fun facts about the village and its interesting past. The children spent the morning enjoying age-appropriate history activities in their usual classes. This was followed by the whole school coming together onto the playground to form the figure ‘50’ for an aerial shot which was captured by a drone.
Staff, children and special guests also attended a special church service led by Reverend Tessa Mann. The service began with a welcoming address by Palladian Academy Trust’s CEO, Donna Tandy, and school appointed Worship Leaders, who led on prayers and created a moving enactment of the Parable of the Sower’s tale.
Winsley Primary School Headteacher Thomas Brewer led the singing with a heartwarming tribute entitled As Time Goes On which he wrote specifically for the school’s anniversary. The celebrations continued back at school where families gathered for a picnic and children were able to take part in a special orienteering activity created by the teachers.
As the afternoon drew to a close, Reverend Mann conducted a blessing upon the 50th Anniversary Plaque that will be placed under a new tree to be planted in September 2022, to mark the beginning of the new academic year.
“It has been a wonderful occasion to bring staff, children, our special guests and the entire village together at the church and at our lovely school for a fabulous family picnic,” said Executive Headteacher Rebecca Wilson.
“The children thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Winsley’s history, as well as embracing hi-tech drone technology to create their own piece of history in the form of videos and photos in the playground. It was so lovely to see so many of our parents and members of our friendly community come to support us – we’re so proud of our children and we’re delighted to share such important moments with our families and friends.”
Donna Tandy, CEO of Palladian Academy Trust, added, “We’re immensely proud of our staff and children at Winsley Primary School for taking the time to mark this historical event. The drone activity and footage created combined innovation with history in the making – it’s such an inspiring way to engage children with this topic.
“As a Trust, we support all of our schools to deliver a relevant and creative curriculum and we are so impressed with how our teachers brought Winsley’s history to life for the children and their families.”