Staff and pupils celebrate as Lightwater and Hammond Schools become academies

Staff at Lightwater and Hammond Schools are hoping it will be the case of ‘remember, remember the sixth of November’ for their pupils as the two schools marked their change to academy status.

The schools’ transition happened formally on Sunday 1 November, but activities celebrating the start of this new chapter in their history took place on Friday last week.

At Lightwater, pupils worked on a series of special projects as the school’s new iPads were put into action, and they had the opportunity to contribute to a commemorative mosaic, which is on the wall of the playground.

“This was a very important day in the history of our school, so it was great that we came up with so many ways for the children to realise that this was something a bit special and different”, said Lightwater’s Head of School Karen Ney. “The iPads are a sign of a new era, and the mosaic was an opportunity for the children to let those who come after them know that they were part of our school on this special day."

At Hammond, pupils took part in four different activities during the day, which included work on geography, maths, literacy, science, computing, art and design.

"Of course, no party is complete without a cake, so we were lucky that the husband of one of our school governors, Helen Earwaker, is a baker and made something special for the day,” added Head of Hammond School Kay Dunn.

Lightwater and Hammond's new status sees them join GLF Schools, a Surrey-based multi-academy trust which now runs over a dozen schools across the south east, and is based on a model of strong collaborative working.

“Being part of the GLF family will make a real difference to the way we do things,” said Sarah Evans, Executive Headteacher of the Federation of Lightwater Schools. “This connection with a new family of like-minded schools will enable us to learn, develop and grow from each other, share our best practice with other schools and gain support and challenge from a group who has outstanding education, for all our children, at its core.”

​GLF Schools chief executive officer Jon Chaloner attended the celebrations along with other representatives of the group to ensure the new chapter got off to a successful start. “GLF Schools is delighted to welcome Hammond Junior School and Lightwater Village School to our Trust.  We have already been working closely with children, staff and governors at both schools and we are looking forward to the opportunities that this brings for all involved.”​