WITH every good celebration comes a cake, and there was one fit for 620 youngsters who all enjoyed their slice as they commemorated the forming of St Monica Primary School in Southampton.

The former infant and junior schools are the latest to merge in the city to create an all-through primary.

The day was marked with a series of special events which began in the playground, where each pupil got the chance to shake every other pupil’s hand before gathering for their first whole school picture and a well-earned slice of cake, which bore the logo of the new school.

Still set on separate sites, which will now be known as the ‘Inspire’ and ‘Endeavour’ campuses of the school, the challenge for the leadership will be to unite both sets of pupils.

But with a new uniform and logo made up from the silhouettes of pupils at the school, the foundations were set for a new chapter in the life of the school at yesterday’s ceremony.

Head teacher Kathryn Bevan-Mackie, who previous headed up the infant school, said: “It has been a chance for the children to really come together and celebrate being a new primary school.

“We are now the only St Monica primary school in the country, which is quite special.

“We now want to be the very best, and today has been the start of that.”

As part of the celebrations, pupils also sang a new school song, with lyrics made up by the children before they enjoyed a pizza party for lunch and a whole school break time.

Pupil Adam Tupper said: “This has been a good day. We have done plenty of celebrating and a bit of learning too.”