Waving in a new era of education

It’s official… a day of celebration was held to formally mark the linking together of Tenterden schools.

Tenterden Schools Trust (TST) was created in December 2016 and is a multi-academy trust comprising of Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre, Tenterden Primary Federation, St Michael’s CE Primary School and Home Farm Nursery.

Around 3,000 pupils and staff members, who are part of the trust, attended the day.

Canon Lindsay Hammond led the start of the celebrations with a service at St Mildred’s Church, which included an address given by Rt Rev Trevor Willmott the Bishop of Dover.

The service was attended by Ashford & Tenterden MP Damian Green and the Mayor of Tenterden, Pam Smith, while trust chief executive and Homewood School principal Sally Lees also addressed the congregation, along with Sam Crinnion, execu- tive head teacher of Tenterden Primary Federation and Sara Williamson, head at St Michael’s CE Primary School.

A song written by children from the schools and composed by Yvette Snow, Homewood’s director of music, was performed by the TST choir, while the Bishop of Dover wore a TST T-shirt over his robes during his address to show his support.

Teachers and pupils walked from Tenterden and St Michael’s in the afternoon, congregating at Homewood. They were led by a Samba band and a stilt walker and juggler greeted the procession at the school gates.

Af t e r n o o n celebrations included a balloon release and the creation of the TST logo made up of flags on the school’s grounds.

Homewood principal Sally Lees said: “It was an enjoyable occasion filled with entertainment and singing and finished with a balloon release.

“During the day, an art installation was built on the Homewood School field in the shape of the TST logo, with children from each school adding their flags in concentric circles, reflecting the vision of the trust – that we will all be working together, supporting each other to ‘secure the future for all the young people in our schools’.”

Homewood School pupils placed their flags in a circle to create the Tenterden Schools Trust logo; around 3,000 pupils and staff members now make up the new trust

Picture: Gary Browne FM4748779 Pupils from Tenterden Junior school, Tenterden Infant school and St Michael’s school at Homewood School to mark the launch of Tenterden Schools Trust

Balloons were release at Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre

The Bishop of Dover, Rt Rev Trevor Willmott, celebrates the launch of the trust with head teachers and pupils

Pupils offered musical accompaniment to the proceedings