AFTER 356 years the John Bentley School will disappear and be replaced with the new name of Kingsbury Green Academy this September.

Still on the same site off White Horse Way, the school will have a new badge, new uniforms for the students and a new chapter in Calne’s education history after it joined Royal Wootton Bassett Academy Trust in April.

The name Kingsbury Green was chosen after consultation with the students, staff and the wider community in the town and refers to a site of an earlier school in Kingsbury Street next to The Green in the town.

Headteacher Jason Tudor, 43, said joining the trust allowed the school with 812 students to develop through economies of scale, collaboration with teaching resources, staff and curriculum design.

"We were the number one most improved school in Wiltshire in 2018," he said, "and it was not a blip as we shall continue to improve."

He said the school was known for its pastoral care and "achieving excellence together."

The new school has outlined five values which lie at its core: building confidence, courage, conscientiousness, consideration and creativity which are indicated on signposts on the campus.

"The key design theme for the Kingsbury Green Academy logo is one of a journey throughout education and life," he said, "all our students arrive at Kingsbury Green Academy from a wide variety of primary schools.

"Their journeys to this point in their lives are rich and varied, creating a culture at Kingsbury Green Academy where opportunities exist for the many and not the few. A vital part of Kingsbury Green’s culture is diversity, inclusivity, and the fact that regardless of which path has led you to us, you are welcome."

This journey is shown on the logo by the pathway running through the hills of the North Wessex Downs.

He said: "At Kingsbury Green Academy, we use the surrounding hills as a metaphor for the challenge that is education and life, depicted in the lower left side of the shield."

Mr Tudor has been the headteacher for four years and said the school had made huge progress in that time with improved exam results and behaviour. However he said the number one challenge to all Wiltshire state schools was the disparity of funding and cuts in finance.