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Celebration of First Phase of New School Building Opening

A bustling open evening event hosted by Kier Construction and our school took place in the new school building at the start of term.

The event welcomed everyone involved in this innovative project to jointly celebrate the opening of the first phase of our new school building. Our staff, pupils their parents were overwhelmed with excitement and awe after viewing the new building and specialist spaces;

The new building is bright and airy with a warm, friendly atmosphere. There is a feeling of new and exciting possibilities here.

Jo, Parent

It’s exciting to start learning in all the different spaces, especially the recording studios. It’s a gigantic building and the food hall reminds me of the great hall in Harry Potter.

Charlie, Year 7 Pupil

This is a fantastic new space, which we are only just beginning to explore together. There is endless potential here for creative learning here.

Lisa, Year 1 Teacher

ITV News came along to film at the event:

Our school has been based in temporary accommodation in the Cargo Building in Millbay, adjacent to the new school site, during its successful first year of opening. Award winning construction company Kier, have been working assiduously over the summer to ensure part of the building is fit for purpose at the beginning of the school term.

Brian Rice, Kier Construction Area Manager for Devon and Cornwall said;

This is a great opportunity for our site team to show the parents and students around the newly completed learning zones and to give them an idea of what’s to come when the second phase is completed in March.

Our aspirational school building was designed by pioneering architects Fielden Clegg Bradley and features a dramatic overhang and a striking red cladding exterior. As a purpose built space, there are large studio classrooms, equipped with high quality furniture and learning materials. There will be specialist spaces for making and performance, such as a food hall, a theatre, a dance studio, a recording studio, and making workshops. Science and design labs will enable learners to be the scientist or designer inquiring in to an area, rather than to just ‘follow instructions’.

It will include a four-court sports hall and free-flow outdoor learning spaces for the youngest pupils, together with zoned play areas in the landscaped grounds. The architects have also designed a rooftop play area, which the school will be developing in the near future.

This environment will facilitate learners to achieve academically, whilst preparing them for their next steps in the world of work.

Our school building is on schedule to be complete in March 2015 and will extend across four distinct phases, creating a cohesive all-through learning environment for up to 1020 pupils.