Pupils select logo for new combined school

Hundreds of children due to start at a new amalgamated school in north Shropshire in September have voted for the new school logo.

Shawbury Primary and St Mary's Primary schools will join forces to create a combined school whose wining logo was designed by eight-year-old

Francesca Sacker. About 250 students, parents and residents turned out at the village hall to choose the design, from 79 options by children at both schools.

New headteacher Sally Johnson, who took up her post last week, said the standard of entries was impressive.

"Francesca's logo uses red, which is the colour of St Mary's uniform, blue, which is the colour of Shawbury uniform, and purple, which is the colour for the new school uniform the children will wear from September," she said. "There were 48 votes for Francesca's design, a winner by six votes.

"Francesca says she wanted her design to look like stained glass and she want- ed the dove to represent peace. It was lovely to see the two communities from the town and two schools getting together."

The schools are merging as part of Shropshire Council's shake-up of education in the county. The council says the move will save £85,000 a year.

The new school will be called St Mary's C of E Primary and will be on the current site of Shawbury Pri- mary in Poynton Road.

Mrs Johnson said the children were looking forward to the new school year.

She said: "The children from the two schools have been doing lots of different designs and have really enjoyed it. They have been very excited and they are very pleased it is one of their logos chosen, not the teachers or the governors.

"Some designs included features of the village such as the church or a helicopter to represent the air base."

Shawbury Primary will close on August 31 this year before the combined school opens in September.