New name announced

Further plans have been confirmed as Wilby CE Primary School prepares to move to a brand-new building in the Glenvale Park development.
 
Alongside the many new developments, it has been confirmed that the school will change its name to The Glenvale Church of England Primary School when pupils go to new building for the first time in September.
 
Lynette Dudley, Chair of Governors, said: “While there is still a great deal to do, a huge amount has been achieved over recent months as we prepare for our big move.
 
“We are recruiting new staff, our plans to become an academy join the Peterborough Diocese Education Trust have moved on at pace and we now have agreed admissions arrangements in place.
 
“However, one of the questions that has really been at the forefront of people’s minds is what we are going to call the school. We conducted a survey, and while it was clear that people are keen that we retain all the things that make Wilby Primary so special, there was a practical realisation that keeping our name might cause confusion in the future.
 
“That is why we have decided to change our name to The Glenvale Church of England Primary School. We also have a new logo that we hope not only shows the high aspirations we have for every member of our school, but also reflects our Christian ethos.”
 
Alongside the new name and logo, the school’s admissions arrangements have also been agreed with the Local Authority. Wilby School currently has over 80 children, but will grow to over 400 pupils in a sensible and pragmatic way over a significant number of years.
 
Louise Bilkhu, the school’s Headteacher, added: “Due to the size of our current building, we have been operating mixed year group classes. Over time, we will be able to move to learning in. individual year groups and then start to grow further as people move into the houses on the development.
 
“Building slowly will allow us to provide stability to our existing children, but also grow in a way that ensures we don’t fundamentally lose who we are as a school.”
 
Details of how to apply for places are on the school’s new website www.theglenvaleschool.co.uk.
 
Mrs Bilkhu added: “The children are so excited. Until the building has been handed over, we haven’t been able to take every child to see their new classrooms – but we have taken a few children along, and they were absolutely buzzing.
 
“That being said, it is not easy to simply leave a building that has been our home for over 170 years. Over the last half-term we will be marking our time in Wilby, and ensuring that our children’s last memories in our existing site are full of fondness and laughter.”