£31m school building finally opens
2:30pm Sunday 5th September 2010 in
PUPILS and teachers from Cressex Community School are looking forward for their first full week in their new £31 million building.
The environmentally friendly structure in Holmers Farm Way, High Wycombe, was finally declared ready for use on Friday after five years of planning and construction.
The building, funded under the previous Labour government’s One School Pathfinder programme, features 'ground-source' heating and recycled rainwater for toilet flushing.
Bulldozers moved on to the site last month to demolish the former school building next to the innovative new structure, which education bosses hope will boost performance.
Cllr Steven Adams, Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Education, said: “This building is an important community facility that Wycombe can be proud of.
“This is the opportunity and investment that the community deserves and that the County Council has worked so hard to achieve.
“It is also a tremendous achievement for the students and staff of Cressex Community School as they deserve the highest quality education and facilities."
The High Wycombe school, which celebrated its best-ever GCSE results this summer, became the first Co-operative Trust school in Buckinghamshire.
It's students will receive help and support from private schools and high performing grammar schools in a bid to further improve exam results.
Headteacher David Hood said: “This really is a school for the community by the community.
“It's a very exciting and invigorating place to be and we are sure that people of all ages will be inspired to learn and achieve their best here."
Comments(13)
*Username
says...
4:12pm Sun 5 Sep 10
Slimster
says...
6:40pm Sun 5 Sep 10
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While I wish all children had a school like this, I fully agree with the other comments above; that the condition of the school does not affect education. For me the teacher was the most important thing. I was taught in cold/leaky 'temporary' classrooms, and I don't really remember that being too bad, but I do remember the good teachers.
Plus ça change...
says...
8:19pm Sun 5 Sep 10
Physical environment can help infuse a sense of pride in a place of work or study. It can improve not only attitudes in the students but in teachers too.
Let's not 'knock it' out of ignorance.
Looks good.
J B Blackett
says...
10:53pm Sun 5 Sep 10
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Just condemning the school before it's even started seems a pointless, unnecessary , antisocial , feckless and thoughtless thing to do.
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Justify those remarks - don't hide behind your sinister dark cloak of anonymity. Not very nice otherwise. A bit like secret graffiti scrawling.
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What the reasons are for your remarks, when and how did you arrive at such opinions ? Do you know things unknown to other folk ? Come on we'd like to know the 'truth' - it's in everybody's interests , is it not ?
Welwyn Dowd
says...
11:17pm Sun 5 Sep 10
Voyeur
says...
12:33am Mon 6 Sep 10
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Of course, teaching children is more than just good teachers or eager children.
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Have you even been into a school for the past 5 or 10 years?
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You would get a surprise. There are no blackboards any more - they have been replaced with electronic white boards. Yes, it's true!
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Schools have interactive learning using computers and laptops.
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Cressex are very lucky they managed to get their school built after initially being told they had funding by Bucks CC, then having that funding withdrawn, then the school lobbying the National Government and getting the funding from a special fund from them.
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If it had been left to the local Tories, this school would have never been built.
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It was lucky that they did it when they did or Tory Schools Minister, Michael Gove, would have cancelled the build like he has done in so many other places, including in other areas of Bucks.
deecee01
says...
9:18am Mon 6 Sep 10
I expect this may still happen, regardless of the multi-million pound building.
If there is not a mixed balance of types of children in this school, then the minority population may still prefer not to send their child there.
That is my opinion, and don't need the ranting that will no doubt follow this post.
ArnyP_HW
says...
1:38pm Mon 6 Sep 10
When I first visited the school as a prospective parent, the only thing that I thought let them down was the state of the buildings.
The teachers are an amazing team who have the very rare knack of capturing the attention of pupils and inspiring them to learn. Something very important bearing in mind that the school has a high proportion of pupils who either find it very hard to absorb knowledge or have little inclination to be there in the first place (in comparison to other schools).
The staff now have the environment to make their job a little easier and good luck to them. It'll be a rare and hard earned treat!
HeartyR
says...
7:29pm Mon 6 Sep 10
I am delighted that a local parent has expressed the view which I am sure that all concerned with the school will endorse. Hopfully as the local parents who at present have choosen to send their children to distance schools in the believe that they will all reach grammar schools, will study the progress with interest. Cressex Community School will succeed, and maybe Ivor and the rest of the public will enjoy a better traffic experience as a result. A better educated youth and a greener travel environment. Now that would be progress.
billsheppard
says...
10:37pm Mon 6 Sep 10
Franke
says...
12:05am Tue 7 Sep 10
Hopefully the new building will help to inspire the pupils, gain some pride in the investment and their new environment.
I know Cressex has it challenges - but there will also be some pupils willing to learn and succeed - rather than mash it up.
hondo
says...
3:53pm Fri 10 Sep 10
Let's hope the old school will now be removed and recreation facility recovered.
Hopefully it will attract the right quality of teacher and success will follow.
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£31m school building finally opens
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ivor says...
3:37pm Sun 5 Sep 10
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I wonder how long it will be before the building is vandalised?
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