Children, parents and members of the community will be partying in Sutton St Nicholas next week as the doors of the new Sutton Community Primary School and village hall are officially opened.
Herefordshire Council has designed and funded the building of a new state of the art school building to accommodate 90 children. The school is light and airy with plenty of space, both inside and outside for the children to learn, play and explore. Included in the scheme is a village hall and joint-use area partly funded by a £200,000 contribution from the Parish Council.
The new school grounds house a full sized football pitch and plans are in place to surround the pitch with a range of eco-zones including a conservation area, outdoor play area, orchard, sensory garden and wildflower area.
Inside the school, the latest technology has been incorporated with an automatic lighting system which adjusts to natural light when the room/area is occupied, a rainwater system for non-drinking water systems, under floor heating and the latest in classroom whiteboard technology.
The old primary school building at Sutton St Nicholas in Herefordshire had been in poor repair for many years with cramped conditions and very little outdoor space for children to play in. The new building has cost more than £2 million and was designed by architect Jed Bayley in consultation with the school and local community*.
The children and staff moved into the school in June and are now helping parents prepare for a grand opening on 17th July.
When asked what she thought about the new school, ten year old pupil, Madeleine Phillips, said: “When I first saw the school I thought wow, it’s really good, there’s lots of space and great play areas we can play in. The design technology area is my favourite because it’s got lots of arty things in it which I love.”
Head teacher, Paul Whitcombe, said: “There is something very special about this school and we are grateful to Herefordshire Council for designing and funding the building, and to our PTA and sponsors for their generosity in helping us provide much of the equipment.
“Our children have been very much part of the planning of the new school, they have chosen furniture, discussed colour schemes, helped to plan the outdoor area. We are now looking at taking advantage of the new building by exploring opportunities beyond the curriculum like extending our healthy breakfast club, providing full care for 0-11 year olds and growing our own vegetables.”
The launch will kick off at 4.30pm with games for the children and parents, followed with a celebratory Bar-B-Q prior to a formal tree planting ceremony at 6.30pm.
Seven trees will be planted by seven people who have a strong relationship with the school: George Salmon, retired head of commissioning and improvement at Herefordshire Council who was behind the project, Councillor Phillip Price, cabinet member for children and young people (Education and ICT), Peter Box and Paul Whitcombe, joint head teachers of Sutton and Lord Scudamore Primary Schools, Tony Walmsley, Parish Councillor and former chair of governors, Mrs Evelyn Corrick, who was a pupil at Sutton School back in the 1930s and remembers taking a penny into school all those years ago to go towards funding the new build, and a current year six pupil (yet to be chosen).