School marks 150 years with legacy sports project

Paul Baddeley said that the school is at the centre of the community and everyone seemed to have a story or memory about it

A school has unveiled plans for a £40,000 outdoor sports facility to mark its 150th anniversary.

Holywell Church of England Primary School, near St Ives, Cambridgeshire, first opened its doors in 1875 after being built the previous year for just under £600.

To mark its anniversary, pupils were involved in a series of commemorative projects, including designing a mural, producing a magazine, and raising funds for a multi-use games area on land previously occupied by a caretaker's building.

Head teacher, Paul Baddeley, 51, said the anniversary had brought the whole community together.

Children from the school in the 1920s: Old plans uncovered show cloakroom areas to hang 'bonnets' and 'caps'

Mr Baddeley explained that although the original school building was replaced in the 1960s, the site and footprint remain the same.

"When you look at old photos of the school, you can recognise the location", he said.

One of the school's features was its bell, which is still rung daily to signal the end of break time.

"It was found by a caretaker who realised that it was the one used in the 1800s, and it was installed again to mark King Charles' coronation," he added.

The legacy sports project had already received grants from Living Sport and the local parish council, with about £14,000 still needed.

A public fundraising campaign has raised almost £5,000 so far.

The school hoped to make a multi-use games area their legacy project to mark its big anniversary, with grants already secured

Clare Biddle, 32, attended the school as a child from 1997 and has returned as a Year 3 teacher

Teacher Clare Biddle attended the school as a child in the late 1990s.

"When I take a new class as the term starts, I often say, 'Oh, I knew your mum, dad or uncle', it does seem strange that I went to school with their parents and relations, and now I'm teaching their youngsters," she added.

Miss Biddle said she had not realised how old the school was when she was a pupil herself.

The whole community have celebrated the landmark anniversary and the children decorated the local bus shelter