In its edition of April 1, 2011, the Herald reported: ‘Weydon School’s governing body has decided, after a unanimous vote, that the school will become one of the first in Surrey to convert to Academy status.” 

The governors stated “the decision was made in the best interests of students, staff and the local community served by the school”.

The report quoted the headteacher at the time, John Winter, now the academy’s CEO, who said: “Achieving academy status will allow us to continue to be one of the leading 11 to 16 [state secondary] schools in the country.”

Switching to an academy was one of the most significant educational developments in Farnham in recent history and the number of schools in the district wishing to join the Weydon Multi-Academy Trust (WMAT) has been testament to the academy opportunity and the contribution of all its headteachers, teachers, management and staff.

WMAT now counts in its ranks Farnham Heath End, The Ridgeway, The Abbey and Weydon in Farnham, Woolmer Hill in Haslemere, The Park School in Woking, Rodborough in Milford, and Crondall Primary School, as well as the i2i Teaching Partnership.

Academy status has also brought benefits to Weydon itself, helping it secure funding for a larger cafeteria, new changing rooms and new arts and humanities departments in 2014, followed by the 'Medici' theatre in 2016 and the 'Globe' block in 2017.

A good education brings many benefits for young people and for society as a whole and, whether inside or outside of the academy, Farnham is fortunate in having some of the very best schools in Surrey.

The above is a continuation of a series of articles compiled by Farnham Sports Council chairman David Gill looking back at the Herald archive to mark the 50th anniversary of the dissolution of the Farnham Urban District Council (FUDC) in 1974.