Northamptonshire school set for rebrand announces name ahead of 70th Birthday

Elizabeth Woodville School in Roade has revealed it is changing its name to Roade Village Academy, ahead of its 70th Birthday in September this year.

The name and logo were announced at a recent Parish Community Meeting.

Elizabeth Woodville School is undergoing ‘a de-amalgamation,’ initially announced in September last year, separating its two campuses in Deanshanger and Roade.

Head of school, Emma Reed, said: “We really wanted to reclaim the name Roade.

“The school originally opened as Roade Secondary Modern School, and we didn’t just want to go back to being Roade School.

“We wanted to emphasise the fact that we are a small school, and we pride ourselves on knowing every child’s name, so we thought Roade Village Academy had a really nice ring to it.

“Many people in the local community came to school here, and now their children have been through the school, and potentially there’s even grandchildren in the school.

“It's an exciting journey and project to be part of and a very exciting time.”

Alongside the name change, a new logo was needed.

Consulting with her team, Emma mentioned the task to a group of Year 10 Business Studies students, who are creating logos as part of their coursework.

“I said, as we become Roade Village Academy, we’re going to have to come up with a new logo and a new strapline,” said Emma. “That night, one pupil went away and started doodling and creating and input his ideas into AI to create a logo for the school.”

“My Dad came to this school when he was younger, and he told me that the old logo was a poppy and that the school was built on poppy fields,” said Jacob, age 15, the student who designed the logo.

“I thought that we should bring back the old heritage of the school and also keep the new leaf that’s on it from the current logo.

“It's really cool, the feeling that the logo that you designed is gonna be here for a while.”

In September, the school is planning a celebration and fundraising efforts, complete with staff and student alumni and artefacts from the school’s history.

Emma Reed is hoping to raise money for improvements around the school, including a peace garden in the school to help support children’s mental health.

“We’re inviting any students and staff, past and present, to buy a brick and to have the opportunity to have a message on or even a dedication to someone else,” said Emma.

“They will then be put up in our sports centre, which is open to the public in the evenings, to mark their moment in the school.”

Full details of the celebrations will be announced in the coming weeks. You can find more information at https://www.ewsacademy.org.uk/.