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Broadwater CE Primary School held an event on the school field on May 26, when the Bishop of Chichester, the Right Reverend Dr Martin Warner, blessed the school and officially opened the newly re-designed prayer garden.

More than 50 guests attended, many with long-standing connections to the school in Rectory Gardens – including the local parish ministers and previous head teachers and advisers. The pupil leaders of the school led the service with readings and prayers and each child in the school placed their hand painted personalised stone in the prayer garden.

The day began with the children forming a 150 on the school field for an aerial photograph, courtesy of photographer Eddie Mitchell, to create a memory for the school’s history books. The commemorative photograph will join the archive of historical images of previous key celebrations within the school.

All pupils at Broadwater CE Primary made up the numbers 150 for a drone photograph

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Teacher Leonie Scott, who helped to organise the celebrations, said: “Broadwater school has been at the heart of the local community long before the current school was actually built. The history of the school dates right back to 1580, where records show there was an established educational setting at Offington.

“In 1873 the first purpose built school building, for both infants and older children was established on a site at the south-east corner of the green given by the ladies of the manor. The average attendance at the time was 92 pupils. By 1903 the school had grown to attendance of 225.

“In 1937 a brand new building was established on the current site in Rectory Gardens. In 1976 the school became a first and middle school with an average attendance of 388. It became Primary School in 2016 and now have just under 440 pupils from Early Years through to Year 6.

Rev Gaz Daly Rector for Broadwater Parish, with Bishop of Chichester Dr Martin Warner, in the school's new prayer garden

“The school is very grateful to all those who have shared memories of their time at Broadwater. They have been used as a part of displays within the school to commemorate the anniversary, and will be on display during the Broadwater school summer fayre.

"Over the next year, visitors to the school will be given an opportunity to look at the selection of archived documents and photographs.”

Worthing primary school marks 150th anniversary with drone photograph of all pupils