A HEAD teacher has been appointed for the town’s new amalgamated primary school, merging St Mary’s Infants and St Peter’s Juniors, with governors confident that final permission for the new school building will be granted by Wiltshire Council in a week’s time.

Plans for the new Marlborough St Mary’s Primary are now going full steam ahead, and it has been revealed that Anne Schwodler, current head of St Mary’s Infants, will take up the reins as head once the new school begins on September 1, with a new building to follow one year later.

“It is very exciting, a real opportunity, especially with the new school building which looks fantastic in the new plans,” Mrs Schwodler said. “This is the start of a new step for Marlborough. I already know all of the children at St Mary’s and St Peter’s as those currently at St Peter’s have already passed through the infant school.”

The head of St Peter’s Juniors, Caroline Spindlow, is taking voluntary redundancy at the end of the school year, after 21 years teaching, and has been a big part of helping the plans for the amalgamated school go ahead.

The new school, which is going to be behind the current St Mary’s School in George Lane, will start operating in September 2017 if the planning is given consent.

Until the building is up and running the primary school will be split across the two sites, with children in reception to Year 2 being educated at St Mary’s and pupils in Years 3 to 6 using St Peter’s.

The new school is planned to have room to take up to 420 pupils, including spaces for 20 with special educational needs.

Mark Thomas, chairman of the governors for the new Marlborough St Mary’s Primary, said: “This will be a purpose-built new school. We haven’t had many issues and feedback has been very positive. The amalgamation of the two schools will a very positive step. The board of governors is made up of a 50/50 split from the existing board of governors from both schools. We also have a new logo for the school which we asked the pupils to help create.

“The designs we received had four main themes which had the inclusion of St Mary’s Church, Savernake Forest, the River Kennet and children holding hands, all of which has been incorporated into the new school’s logo. All of this symbolises the merging of the two schools and the pupils coming together.”

Although it was recommended for refusal in the planning phase by Marlborough Town Council, over concerns on traffic issues, the plans are due to be decided by Wiltshire Council on Thursday, May 12, with Coun Laura Mayes, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for children’s services, being firmly behind the scheme.

This week Coun Mayes said: “I’m delighted for staff and pupils who will soon have a newly built primary school with modern facilities thanks to our successful bid for government funding. We’re pleased that parents have been in favour of the amalgamation of the two schools and this is the first step in an exciting journey.”