Northampton school welcomed 700 guests to celebrate 70 years of its important role in the community

The celebration was held on September 7 and everyone had a “wonderful day” reminiscing over the school’s rich history.

To ensure that guests could meet as many old friends and colleagues as possible, different slots were allocated to those who had been at Moulton School from 1950 to 1979, 1980 to 1999, and 2000 and 2024.

Tours were held to show how much the learning environment has changed and to take a look at memorabilia – and guests also enjoyed performances of musical hits from past school productions by current students.

Headteacher Angie Dabbs, who took over in 2021 and has been part of the school for 25 years, spoke to the Chronicle & Echo about the fantastic day and how it highlighted the important part the school plays in people’s memories.

Angie said: “It was wonderful to share the history and the way things have changed. We’re a 1950s build and it’s unrecognisable now. People got a flavour of the changes and new facilities.”

One thing that has remained the same over the past seven decades is Moulton School’s commitment to putting the students first, and encouraging them to be the best versions of themselves.

Angie was particularly touched by a comment from a past student, who is now 69 years old and went on to be a headteacher herself. She was so pleased to be invited to the birthday celebration and shared her positive learning experience at Moulton School.

A former teacher was also pleased to be reunited with her students, who have progressed into a wide range of roles – including teachers, nurses, solicitors and business owners, just to name a few. She shared the poignant message that you never know where life will take young people when they are first sat in the classroom.

The first ever student who walked through the doors in 1954 was also welcomed back for the celebration.

When asked how she would summarise the atmosphere of the school now, Angie said: “I’d like to think the school plays a really important part in the community. We try to ensure that education is about the whole child and being the best person they can be.”

Since she took over in 2021, Angie says Moulton School has built on very strong foundations to develop the facilities, learning environment and quality of the curriculum during some challenging times.

“We’ve been through some big challenges, like every school,” she continued. “But we are finally set on the trajectory to provide the best education we can.”