New Primary School Building for The Steadings Officially Opens at Siddington C of E Primary School
A modern new building has opened at Siddington C of E Primary School. It is intended that in time this will host the initial intake of pupils for The Steadings until the primary school has been built within the new neighbourhood. Before and after that, this building will be used by Siddington C of E Primary School and will remain as a legacy to benefit the local school.
On Tuesday, 1 April, members of the local community came together to celebrate the official opening of this high-quality and beautifully designed new building. Guests included Lord and Lady Bathurst, Corinium Education Trust, Siddington C of E Primary School pupils, staff, governors and trustees, local Parish, District and County Councillors and representatives, construction design and build teams, and many more.
Designed by architects, Roberts Limbrick, and built by construction company, Barnwood, both Gloucester-based, the new 1,070 sq m building includes a new reception, entrance area and office, a new hall and teaching space, a reading area, staff facilities and toilets. The spacious hall and teaching space incorporates acoustic boards and large windows, allowing for lots of natural light and a multi-purpose space. The project also saw the school receive improved play areas and increased staff parking. Local ecologist, edp, and landscape architects, Murdoch Wickham, delivered enhanced planting of flower beds, trees and various wildlife initiatives for pupils to enjoy.
Chiquita Henson, CEO of the Corinium Education Trust, who led on the new building being located at Siddington C of E Primary School, welcomed the guests by saying “An opportunity like this doesn’t come along very often. It is really exciting for the Corinium Education Trust (CET) to open the new school, but also a great opportunity for Siddington C of E Primary School.
In 2018 the Trust was invited to pitch to open a new school at The Steadings. As a result of discussions with Bathurst Development (BDL) and the Local Authority, Siddington was identified as a school that would benefit from a genuine legacy building. It’s fair to say, there aren’t many schools that host new schools which receive a permanent accommodation, that will last well beyond the anticipated two-to-three-year period of the new school for The Steadings.
The Steadings School opening has been delayed until 2029, as people are not having as many children and building developments take longer. Therefore, Siddington C of E Primary School has the benefit of new much needed accommodation.
Today is a real opportunity to share how the school plans to use the new accommodation over the next two-to-three years and demonstrate the value it is already adding.
I am immensely grateful to everybody involved, including Katie Cook, the previous headteacher, Lord Bathurst and the team at BDL, the Local Authority, and the Diocese who have all worked with the CET, Siddington C of E Primary School and governors to bring this about.”
Nearly 70 people from the local community and those involved in the delivery of the new building were entertained at the opening by pupils of the school as they demonstrated how the various flexible spaces are being used.
Lord Bathurst officially opened the new building cutting a purple ribbon and thanking all involved “I would particularly like to thank the school staff and pupils for their patience during the build, and special thanks to the staff who were without a staff room for some considerable time.
There has been positive engagement throughout between the school, the build and construction team, and the Corinium Education Trust, which has helped to make this a really proud collective achievement.”
Lord Bathurst continued to thank “various representatives who are here today from BDL, Barnwood, Roberts Limbrick, Charlwood Project Consulting, Murdoch Wickham and edp, who have taken this project from conception to delivery with the upmost skill and professionalism.
We are all delighted to have built a permanent modern building that will remain a lasting legacy.”
Louise Lennox, headteacher at Siddington C of E Primary School, along with the two Pupil Construction Reps and a six-year-old pupil, explained to the gathered guests what it was like to be involved in the build project, and talked about what they enjoy most about the new building facilities, including sitting in the diggers and watching the concrete pour! Louise explained “A few weeks into my headship, I received an email stating the construction team would be on site in a week!
As always, we took the idea of the project as an exciting opportunity to maximise learning. Every week, we taught the children about site safety, signs, symbols and trip hazards. When there was something really exciting to watch, we went out on mass to view it up close. For example, huge digger trucks excavating, concrete being poured, tarmac being tipped, stonewalls being laid and cranes lowering windows.
At the start, we advertised and ‘employed’ two Construction Representatives: Sian and Ava who attended the monthly site meetings. Being witness to them growing in confidence to communicate their wishes, ask questions and challenge answers was a privilege many don’t get to experience.
The Barnwood team were a delight, and we quickly established good relationships. Peter Cusdin from BDL has been a true ambassador for our school and has been instrumental in putting the children at the heart of the project.
The children now enjoy the new space for daily worship – we are keeping our shoes off to keep it nice and clean! They also have indoor yoga lessons which are incredible with light that shines through the doors. In the reading space, you’ll hear the giggles and soft chatting as they read and share their books together.
Not only is the new hall being utilised, but it also means that the existing hall can be used as a much needed spare classroom. This means teachers and teaching assistants can break away and teach smaller groups of children away from their classrooms.”
This legacy building at Siddington has been funded and delivered by Bathurst Development (BDL) in their role as master developer for The Steadings, and it forms part of BDLs overall investment in educational facilities within the Cirencester area, as part of the new neighbourhood at The Steadings.
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