Dinton and Cuddington share future

A wonderful Sunday in Dinton, inaugurating the new Cuddington & Dinton C of E Primary School, along with the Revds Eric Chamberlain, who pastors Cuddington as part of Haddenham benefice, and Nancy Wallace from Dinton. With leadership from an able head, Pam Talbot, and Chris Blumer, chair of governors, two village schools with over 100 years of history apiece have merged into one new one on both sites:

• keeping the school lights on in both villages
  
• producing the critical mass to sustain future staffing and teaching excellence
  
• making effective use of a head teacher, rather than retaining all the paraphernalia of being a complete school times two

I suppose the logical alternative would be some kind of Darwinian shakeout, with one of the villages losing out. This has happened elsewhere — a bit of a bureaucratic dream and community nightmare.

People seem really positive about the future here — I couldn’t see the joins. The children themselves were brilliant — they really enjoyed their singing, including a new school song. After the service in Church, there was a pig roast on the School Field, with entertainment by the children, and (haven’t seen one for years) punch and judy. All this, and a beautiful sunny day...