PUPILS and staff celebrated with “mixed emotions” today as they marked the final day in the history of Duffryn High School.

The school is set to be renamed John Frost School as of September, honouring one of the city’s most famous sons and Chartist figures.

Headteacher Jon Wilson described the atmosphere as a mixture of “sadness and emotion”, but also said he there was a “real excitement for the new school”.

“When you have been a head teacher for 13 years you do have a real emotional attachment [...] it is a school that has really worked hard to improve," he said.

“I think the message is that we can be really proud of our school and what we have achieved and now we will continue to achieve even greater things as we move on to new times and a new building.”

While operating under the new name, the school will also benefit from a multi-million pound project to build a Welsh-medium school on the same site.

The school, Ysgol Gyfun Gwent ls Coed, is expected to be completed in time for September 2018 after being approved by Newport City Council in May 2016.

In a newsletter addressed to parents and students, Mr Wilson expressed pride at his 13-year headship, crediting past head teachers including Dr. Gordon Williams, who served 21 years as Duffryn’s first head.

In a written statement, Mr Wilson also paid tribute to the legacy of the Chartist movement.

“To name our new school after a local historical figure who also achieved national significance is also an honour for the school,” he said.

“The fact that the Chartists really did ‘Seize the Day’ (our new motto) and try to change things for ordinary people, including the right to a free education, should not be lost on us.

“They really were a group who made so many sacrifices so that institutions like state-funded schools could exist.”

Mr Wilson will continue as headteacher at John Frost School.