This is a text-only version of an article first published on Wednesday, 21 August 2013. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
A Church of England infants school judged outstanding by national Government and Church inspectors is about to be transformed into a primary school. FROM September Purley CE Infants School will become Purley CE Primary School which means that instead of only taking pupils aged four to seven, it will be able to take pupils aged four to 11.
Work will start on new buildings in January and the transition will be phased with the school finally taking its full quota of 105 children by 2017.
The school in Berkshire has been classed as outstanding by both Ofsted and the Church of England's SIAS inspectors.
Ann Bolland, a community governor, said: "There has been a school in Purley since 1872 and it used to be an all-through primary school.
Resarch shows that children attending an all through school do better academically, socially and emotionally.
Parents don't want their children to have to change schools at age seven.
It's a school that is valued by local people because it puts Christian values at its heart. "The schools patrons include the Rt Revd John Pritchard, the Bishop of Oxford, Tracy Edwards MBE, the sailor who used to live in Purley and skippered the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, becoming the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Award, Sir Julian Rose and John Easton. Sir John Madjeski isn't a patron but has been to speak at the school and goes along to support it when he can.
Sir John is the Chairman of ReadingFC and its mascot, Kingsley, became the first lion to sky dive from the edge of space in a fundraising event.
The idea was the brainchild of Phil Allen, 42, whose five-year-old daughter Scarlet goes to the school and balloonist, Dave Akerman, and raised £450, which will be matched by Microsoft.
Various other fundraising schemes have been taking place including a Buy a Brick scheme and a donation scheme with the Greenham Common Trust that matches every donation, so that for every £10 donated, the school receives £22. 50.
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