THE Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Revd Andrew Watson, was given a guided tour of Waverley Abbey CofE Junior School in Tilford, during a visit to formally welcome the school to the diocese’s multi-academy Good Shepherd Trust.

Three year six pupils showed Bishop Andrew around the school including visits to the computer suite, music block, cookery room and swimming pool.

The pupils, Daisy, Gethin and Samuel, shared details of school life with him such as the extra-curricular opportunities the school offers and the popular residential trips held for all pupils during the summer term.

Year six are looking forward to spending a week on the water on the Isle of Wight, whereas year five will be heading over towards Cranleigh and the Surrey Hills.

After the tour the Bishop took part in a special assembly led by the school’s worship team based appropriately on the theme of the good shepherd.

Bishop Andrew said: “Daisy, Gethin and Samuel were brilliant guides and it was a privilege to spend time with them and to experience their enthusiasm for their school.

“Waverley Abbey is a fantastically resourced school and it was wonderful to meet staff and pupils and to share in worship with them.

“Each school that joins the trust brings with it skills and experiences that benefit the trust as a whole, and I look forward to hearing news from Waverley Abbey as it explores the new opportunities that academy status brings.”

Gethin added: “It was an amazing opportunity to have the Bishop of Guildford come to our school. I loved showing him round and he talked to us about what he does in his job, and also helped us with some of our history work.”

Waverley Abbey, which has 510 pupils, converted to academy status and joined the trust on December 1 2016. The Good Shepherd Trust now supports nine member schools across Surrey and North East Hampshire.

Chair of governors Yvonne McLeod said: “It was wonderful to welcome Bishop Andrew to Waverley Abbey and to give him a real sense of both our unique and distinctive character and our wonderful resources.

“These are exciting times for our school and pupils as we look ahead to developing more innovative and creative ways of teaching, and learning with the freedom that academy status brings.

“We chose the Good Shepherd Trust not only because it has the same Christian ethos and focus on the children’s welfare and learning as we do, but also because of its established infrastructure and experienced educational consultants, which will help support and challenge us as we continue on our journey to become an even better school.”

The Good Shepherd Trust was ranked 17th out of 218 local authorities and academy trusts in league tables published in July 2016 based on pupils’ outcomes.