After a devastating fire, Holywell Primary School in Devon has reopened, bringing joy to students and the community as they celebrate their return
Tawstock: It’s been quite a journey for the kids at Holywell Primary School. After a fire damaged their school just before Christmas 2023, they had to find a new place to learn.
For a while, they were at Orchard Vale Primary in Barnstaple, and then they spent 2024 in spare classrooms at Roundswell Community Primary. But now, they’re back in their newly refurbished school, and you can feel the excitement in the air!
To kick off the new year, they held a community open afternoon. It was a great chance for everyone to come together, including former students who had to leave last summer without a proper goodbye.
Holywell and Orchard Vale are part of the Ventrus Multi-Academy Trust, while Roundswell is with the Tarka Learning Partnership. Roundswell had some extra space since it just opened in 2020.
Robinne Lowrey, the headteacher, expressed her gratitude for all the support from families and the local community after the fire. She mentioned how everyone worked together to make this comeback possible.
It was heartwarming to see the kids so happy in their transformed school. For many of the little ones, this was their first time in a school that looked so different from what they knew.
Holywell is a special place, being 200 years old and one of the last thatched schools in the country. The headteacher highlighted how the school values of kindness and determination shone through in the kids as they returned.
Everyone is proud of the resilience shown by the children and the community. It’s been a tough year, but they’ve come out stronger together!
