Vandyke is turning 50 – and we want you to be involved in the celebrations!

It’s hard to believe but this September, Vandyke will be celebrating 50 years since it first opened its doors. Our first pupils crossed the threshold in September 1976, and the school has grown and changed significantly since then.

To mark our 50th anniversary, we will be organising a range of events and activities for current and former pupils and staff, and for the wider community. We’re in the early stages of planning our programme of events, but full details will be shared on our website and social platforms.

Aside from these events, we are asking former staff and pupils to get involved in other ways. As part of the celebrations, we will be creating ‘A History of Vandyke in 50 Photos’, to be shared in school and online.  We’ve already begun digging around in our own archives but we would love it if you could send in any photographs you have of your time at Vandyke, to share your memories and to show how much the school has changed over the years.

We’re also looking to gather ‘talking heads’ video clips from former staff and pupils. We’d love to hear your thoughts and reflections as your old school / workplace turns 50.  Happy memories, funny anecdotes, favourite teachers, the impact the school had on you – anything you’d like to share, please film yourself talking about it and send it in to us.  We’d love to hear it all!

If you’re interested in sharing either photographs or a filmed clip, please send them via email to [email protected]. We are happy to name people who share photos and films, but you can also remain anonymous if you wish. You can also use this email address if you have any other contributions you’d like to make – we really do want everyone to play a part in this special celebration.

Mrs Ferguson-Moore says, “We are delighted to be able to share our golden jubilee celebrations with our Leighton Buzzard community. We are very proud of our school and what we have achieved over five decades. 2026 marks a significant milestone and we are honoured to be able to reflect on our past, and the many thousands of people who have shared our journey so far. We are also looking ahead to a very exciting future. ”

If you know any former students and staff, please do pass this information on to them – the more people we reach, the better! We look forward to sharing more updates with you soon.