Bishops were all the rage in Stotfold last week for a ceremony marking the expansion of St Mary’s Church of England Academy.

Headteacher Sam Bishop welcomed Rev Michael Beasley, who is Bishop of Hertford, for a special assembly celebrating the two-storey expansion of the Rook Tree Lane school.

As well as extending the sports hall and the car park, the expansion means the school now accommodates 75 extra pupils, which takes its capacity to 300 places.

Miss Bishop said: “We are delighted with the extra space the extension has given us.

“It will greatly improve the learning environment at St Mary’s, and provide valuable school places for the growing local community.

“We have been extremely pleased with the building work from the start and the end result is fantastic.”

Councillor Mark Versallion, who is responsible for education at the unitary authority, said: “Stotfold is a very popular area to live, which is why the council has been working hard to create extra lower school places there.”