ALTHOUGH a relatively small school, with only 84 pupils across three classes, St George’s C of E School in the heart of Semington wants to inspire its pupils to be the best they can be.

As a Church of England primary, the school’s ethos is ‘in God’s love, we cherish, challenge and inspire’ – something headteacher Gordon Campbell believes is evident in the day-to-day work of staff and pupils.

“The most important thing about the school is our pupils,” he added.

“We started the school on the premise that everything should focus on relationships, and all relationships should be based on love, which is what the Bible teaches us.

“If you make the children feel cherished for who they are then they will know they can take on any challenge. If they rise to this challenge because of this surety and feeling of being cherished and loved, they can be inspired to continue to grow but also inspire others around them.

“The school is growing and developing all the time.”

The Pound Lane primary was built in 1968 and in April last year it became part of the Academy Trust of Melksham (ATOM) and ceased to be maintained by Wiltshire Council.

Mr Campbell believes this transition has helped to build a more resilient community-based school.

He added: “It has meant that we can closely collaborate with other schools to do the best for children in Melksham, and we are quite proud of that. The headteachers work together and so do the teachers and staff.”

A new sensory footpath for the play area was unveiled last year, funded by school fundraising.

“The key thing for me is that these fundraisers bring the community together,” Mr Campbell said. “The £15,000 needed for the pathway was raised through events like the Semington Slog, which involved the whole village.”