New name for Stratton Upper School revealed as it transitions to secondary school status

Stratton Upper School will be known as Stratton School when its transition to secondary school status begins next academic year.

The Biggleswade school’s transition to secondary school status was approved earlier this year as part of the Central Bedfordshire Schools for the Future Programme, changing the county’s provision from a three-tier to a two-tier system.

The school, which is part of Meridian Trust, is now preparing for its new era with an open evening for prospective students taking place later this month.

As part of the expansion, in September 2024 the school will be admitting students into Years 7, 8 and 9 and then will admit students into year 7 only from 2025 onwards.

The school will be hosting an open evening on Thursday, September 28 for prospective students who are currently in Year 6, 7 and 8 and are interested in joining the school. One session for those in Year 6 starts at 5.30pm. A second aimed at those in Years 7 and 8 follows at 6.30pm.

Principal Sam Farmer will deliver a welcome presentation and a series of subject demonstrations will be held around the premises for attendees to get a deeper insight into the school. Attendees will have a chance to sample food from the school café and meet the catering team.

Sam Farmer said: "We are looking forward to welcoming prospective students and parents to what will be known as Stratton School as we embark on this exciting journey together. This is about shaping a new vision for education in Biggleswade.

“We are proud to be one of 14 secondary schools in Meridian Trust, which means in addition to our amazingly talented staff, we are able to draw upon a wide range of expertise as we widen our offer to two additional year groups. We already have an excellent Sixth Form offer at the school supported by a wide breadth of extra-curricular opportunities across all Year groups.”

The news signals an element of change to the local community, as the school aligns with the national programme of Primary and Secondary education.

Students who are currently at Biggleswade Academy, which is converting to a primary school as part of the programme, will receive a letter from the Local Authority detailing the bespoke automatic placement of students into years 7,8 and 9 at Stratton School in September 2024.

Families and students from elsewhere are able to contact the Central Bedfordshire Admissions Team for specific questions about the 2024 application process on Central Bedfordshire Council's website.

Sam added: “I appreciate that our immediate community has a lot of changes that they might not fully comprehend at this stage and understanding the options isn’t always straightforward.

“I would urge anyone with questions or concerns to email us. We have a dedicated inbox for all questions related to September 2024, please email [email protected].”

To find out more about Stratton School visit www.stratton.school