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A secondary school’s plans to create a new campus for its youngest students has led to the appointment of a new head of school.

Ben Jeffery will be leading the new County Upper School lower campus for Year 7 and 8 students, based at Westley Middle School where he is currently headteacher.

The decision to split the County Upper School site – from September 2023 – was a direct result of the public consultation into the reorganisation plans of four Bury St Edmunds schools, led by Unity Schools Partnership.

With Horringer Court and Westley middle schools due to close next year, Mr Jeffery said the new lower school campus would create a smooth transition with the existing County site at Beetons Way.

Mr Jeffery said: “We know this has been a challenging time for both staff, students and the whole community and we hope the creation of a lower school campus will make the transition as smooth as possible.

“I am excited by the fact that the lower school site will allow us to continue with all the best things about a middle school, including having its own specialist staff.

“We will also be working very closely with the staff at the main County Upper School site to offer the same high quality curriculum.”

Alongside working on the new lower school site, Mr Jeffery said he wanted to do everything possible to make sure the last year at Westley Middle School was as enjoyable and beneficial as possible for students.

He added: “I must praise staff at Westley and Horringer Court for ensuring they still offer the very best education to our students at both schools.”

Sally Kennedy, headteacher at County Upper School, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ben Jeffery as our new head of lower school.

“We are very excited about the opportunities presented by having the school across two sites and we know how highly regarded Ben is within the local community.”

Parents of Year 5 and 6 students, currently at the two middle schools, will get a chance to hear about the new plans at an open evening on Wednesday 22nd June at Westley Middle School.

Please call the school office on 01284 755144 to book your place.