GOVERNORS, former pupils, parents and staff were welcomed to celebrate the history of Hamworthy First School and Nursery ahead of its “monumental” name change.

Pupils at the school voted to start the next school year with a brand new name, and the stand-out favourite was Twin Sails Infant School.

More than 100 people gathered for cream tea on Friday June 28 on the playing fields and the children sang songs of farewell to the community school name. The school intake will also be reduced from 450 to 360 as the change from First School to Infant School means there will no longer be a Year 3.

Susannah Hill, assistant head teacher said: “The name Hamworthy really identified the community, but the children decided to have a fresh new beginning with the new name.

“The change is absolutely monumental for us because it signifies more than 100 years of community history, but we were happy to let the children decide on a new name.

“We are losing the Year 3 classes because the borough is going through an age of transfer, but we will be increasing our intake in the younger years.”

Twin Sails Infant School will be teaching children from Nursery to Year 2 from September.

The name change is the result of six months of democratic processes involving the pupils, teachers, parents and governors. A gallery at the celebration day exhibition showcased photographs, children’s painting, murals, artwork and memoirs from the present day, going back 100 years.