From Lego and cake to a visiting celebrity and a special new song – Taunton’s Bishop Henderson Primary School has been celebrating its 50th birthday in style. The Church of England school, located in Galmington, opened in 1974 and was named after Bishop Edward Henderson, who was the then Bishop of Bath and Wells.
To mark this special birthday at the school and staff and pupils hosted a series of events. The children built a replica of the school from Lego, everyone at the school add their fingerprint as a leaf to a specially drawn tree, and the school hall was transformed into an exhibition displaying photographs and memorabilia chronicling the school’s history that was opened to the public.
Head teacher Rachel White said: “What an amazing time we had together celebrating 50 years of Bishop Henderson. “Thank you to everyone who supported us, from the staff and Friends group for their hard work and help, to the pupils and wider school community for their enthusiasm, donations and for sharing wonderful memories.
“The school has always felt like one big family and it was really special to experience the love and warmth people have for the school across the generations.”
The whole school gathered in St Michael’s Church for a commemorative service where they were joined by the Simon Hill the Archdeacon of Taunton, the school’s adult choir and invited guests. The service saw the premiere of the school’s new anthem ‘This is our school’, written by Mrs White with help from year six pupils, and the sharing of ‘50 things we love about Bishop Henderson’ based on more than 200 responses received from pupils and staff, past and present.
Four of the school’s five head teachers – Tracey Khodabandehloo, Hedley King (the school's first head teacher), Mrs White and Ed Gregory, were on hand to cut a birthday cake, while the week of events culminated in a 1970s-themed day and a ceremonial tree planting.
Last year, Ofsted classed the school as Good, saying it was a place where teachers are ambitious for pupils while supporting them to flourish and grow. The report praised the school’s strong sense of community and the kindness and care of the staff.
In the Ofsted parent survey, every single one of the 105 respondents said they would recommend the school to another parent, while 98% said their child does well at the school.
Find out more about the 50th anniversary.