A school has turned to Medway’s rich maritime heritage for a new name after severing its ties with the Church of England.

The Bishop of Rochester Academy is to be known as The Victory Academy from September after governors gained inspiration from Nelson’s Chatham-built flagship, HMS Victory.

The decision to change was announced in May as the Diocese of Rochester is no longer a sponsor of the Chatham school and is therefore not a designated Church of England School.

The name has been selected after consultation with students, parents, staff and governors.

Principal Mandy Gage said: “We have spent some time considering an appropriate name that recognises its place in the local community and the aspiration that we have for the academy. This is the 250th anniversary of the launching of HMS Victory from Chatham Dockyard, a reminder of an era when Chatham was prosperous and thriving due to the dockyard.

“Our sponsors, The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, has schools in both Medway and Portsmouth, where HMS Victory is now in dry dock, and thus this iconic vessel is fitting inspiration for our academy.”

Students are to be supplied with free patches for their blazers in the new school year.

The school was formed from a merger of Medway Community College and Chatham South School and opened in 2010.