A year after the amalgamation of Wingfield CofE Primary School and The Mead Community Primary School in Trowbridge, the project is thriving.

The schools were merged in a bid to save Wingfield, which had been in special measures for two years, from closure.

The Mead, already a high-achieving school, became a 17-class school based at two sites, in Hilperton and Wingfield.

Executive headteacher Lyssy Bolton said: “Wingfield had been a very popular and successful school before going through a very tricky time for a couple of years.

“We now operate with consistent approaches to every aspect of school life across both sites – nicknamed Big Mead and Little Mead – including a shared leadership team.

“We even have some families with children on both sites, as the Hilperton site is oversubscribed.”

“Wingfield now has the best of both worlds. On a day-to-day basis the children are at a delightful small, three class, village school, but they also get to enjoy links with the brilliantly resourced bigger Hilperton site, including great expressive arts opportunities such as a joint choir and productions, and shared activities, visitors and trips.”

The move has been popular with parents, with more children joining the reception class at Wingfield, which is due to expand to 17 pupils.

Parent governor Andrew Jackson, whose sons Lewis, seven, and Elliot, five, both go to The Mead’s Wingfield site, said: “If the school had closed there would have been the possibility of having to send them to separate schools if we couldn’t get them in one school together.”

Mr Jackson, of Painters Mead, Hilperton, added: “It’s not just the big school that looks after the little school, children from The Mead (Hilperton) site get to come over and enjoy the smaller and exclusive environment.

“It’s just a wonderful school and I don’t think we could have hoped for anything better because in some ways we have the best of both worlds.”

A recent inspection from Wiltshire Council has given official approval to the merger, ranking provision at the Wingfield site as outstanding.