This year marks the bicentennial year of the Stockton to Darlington railway – the first passenger railway in the world. To help commemorate this, we worked with a local artist, Lily Cockfield, to transform our courtyard into a colourful celebration of railway travel and things we love from our local area.

Over a week of celebrations, each year group explored the history behind the Locomotion 1 from taking on the role of engineers, just like George Stephenson, designing their very own moving models to small world train building. During a celebration assembly, proud children showcased their hard work and a shared enthusiasm for finding out about their local history. They also took part in a scavenger hunt to solve transport related clues.

Some of our LKS2 children were invited to the local library to share facts and celebrate with the wider community. On Sunday 28th September, some of the pupils and families celebrated in different areas of Stockton-on-Tees as exciting celebrations took place, including a replica of the Locomotion as it travelled down the original S&DR line. Through pupil voice, some Y6 children commented “There were shows, acting, music and fireworks. There were so many people there. It really was a once in a lifetime opportunity” and our younger pupils said “It was so exciting and I got to see the old black train with steam coming out of the top”.