Celebrating our anniversaries - a legacy of courage and vision

The best way to predict the future is to create it.  Peter Drucker

This academic year marks two remarkable milestones in the life of our school: September 2026 - twenty years since the opening of our wonderful Junior School at Longdon; and in January 2027 - eighty-five years since the school's courageous re-founding during the darkest days of the Second World War.

It is almost impossible to imagine the uncertainty of 1942. Britain faced rationing, bomb damage, shortages of almost everything and enormous anxiety about the future. Yet amid those extraordinary challenges, the Revd Prebendary Walters looked beyond the difficulties of the moment and recognised something timeless: children would always need an outstanding education grounded in faith, character and hope.

With just twenty pupils, he re-founded the school, laying foundations that continue to benefit the children of today.

Historians often remind us that education has always been one of society's greatest investments during times of uncertainty. Schools provide continuity, stability and optimism when the wider world feels unsettled. Revd Walters understood this profoundly.

Twenty years ago, the opening of our Longdon Junior School represented another bold step forward, creating exceptional facilities where children continue to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

As we celebrate these anniversaries, we do more than look back with gratitude. We also look forward with confidence, inspired by the courage, resilience and vision of those who believed so passionately in the transformative power of education.

May we continue to honour that remarkable legacy through the opportunities we provide for today's children and the celebratory events that will commemorate our anniversary year.