TWO centuries of education came to an end in Liskeard yesterday as two of the town's largest schools closed for good. The end of term at Liskeard Infant School on West Street and Liskeard Junior School on Old Road also meant the end of the line for the schools themselves with the two set to merge as Liskeard Hillfort Primary. Activities marking the schools' final days have been taking place for weeks, but yesterday staff, pupils, parents, governors and supporters said goodbye for the final time in an emotional send-off. The final act for staff and pupils aged four to seven at West Street was to each release a helium balloon marking the final chapter in the school's 50-year history. The end of the summer term, so often greeted with excitement and happiness from pupils, had a hint of sadness in the air as those connected with the school walked back out through the gates for the last time. It was a similar story for Liskeard Junior pupils, although many of them will continue their primary school education on the Old Road site when Hillfort opens there in September. One absentee at the start of the new term will be retiring headteacher Martin Clark. Mr Clark spent 15 years as head of the school after teaching at Delaware Primary, near Gunnislake, and St Stephens in Saltash. Mr Clark said: 'I am looking forward to painting landscapes again, something I used to have the time to do many years ago. At present I am not sure I will be doing anything more arduous, but I have a feeling I probably will!' Liskeard Infant School headteacher Pam Shaw is also retiring. Mrs Shaw arrived at the school 15 years ago, and was soon faced with changes when two new temporary classrooms were added to the school. She said: 'I haven't planned anything for my retirement yet. Opening 'I have had so many years of my life being governed by the school bells and timetables, I just want a bit of time to myself.' The infant school cost £30,000 to build and was opened in April, 1957. The junior school has a longer history, opening as Church School near St Martin's Church in the 1860s. It then moved to Varley Lane but governors launched a well-supported campaign, Move Our School Soon, to switch sites to Old Road where they have been based since 1996 when the first four classrooms were built. Memories from both Liskeard Infants and Liskeard Juniors have been documented in books, published in recent weeks to commemorate the role the schools have played in educating children. They mark the end of an era for both, but one that many hope will continue through Liskeard Hillfort Primary School, which will open in September under the leadership of Kath Harvey.
