The first lesson at Victory Fields in Upper Rissington moved a step closer when the development’s brand new school was handed over to Great Rissington School at a completion meeting on Monday 9th March. Lessons began on Wednesday 11th March.
The milestone transfer to Gloucestershire County Council was marked by a formal handover presentation ceremony on Friday 13th March 2015 attended by the headteacher, chair of governors, the local MP and the local county councillor.
The new campus has been delivered through a construction partnership between Linden Homes, Bovis Homes and contractors Kier.
Linden Homes Thames Valley managing director Peter Carpinelli was on hand to present the school formally to community representatives, including Cotswolds MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, county councillor Nigel Moor, headteacher Liz Bannister and Chair of Governors Colin Campbell.
The building is designed for 120 children and contains four new classrooms, plus a hall, kitchen, playground and playing field. Eco-friendly roof lights use solar power to open and close.
The new school will be a sister site to the current Great Rissington Primary School less than two miles down the road. From the next school year they will be known together as The Rissington School, with the two locations named “Great Rissington site” and “Upper Rissington site”.
Both will be led by the current headteacher of Great Rissington Primary School, Liz Bannister. The school is going to be used immediately, by 48 children in 2 classes, with additional classrooms opening as the school population grows. A pre-school is also opening on the site.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP said: “I was absolutely delighted to be able to visit the new school at Upper Rissington. The facilities that Bovis and Linden Homes have delivered, through their contractor Kier, are fantastic. Liz Bannister, the combined headteacher of the two schools based at Upper and Great Rissington, is doing a great job merging both sites so that these schools become a real asset for children in the area. This will be strengthened further when the new pre-school is fully up and running at Upper Rissington.”
Linden Homes Thames Valley managing director Peter Carpinelli said: “Victory Fields isn’t just a new development; it’s a new part of the community. This school is a landmark addition and we’re proud to be handing it over to the local people.
“At Victory Fields there will also be playing fields, tennis courts, shop, community centre and village green. It all indicates the kind of friendly and inclusive neighbourhood Victory Fields is fast becoming and which its residents love.”
Barry Cummins, Bovis Homes regional sales and marketing director, said: “Victory Fields is a fantastic location for this and future Upper Rissington generations to live and learn in. It may be Friday 13, but we feel very lucky to be teaming up with our partners to deliver this super new school, where many memories will be made and young lives shaped, and we wish all the very best to everyone who comes through these doors in the years to come – be they teacher, parent or pupil.”
Kier senior site manager, Steven Threadingham, added: “As a local company, Kier has been delighted to be involved with this excellent project for the local community. The school will provide spacious twenty first century teaching facilities for pupils who will also be able to experience outdoor nature classes, a substantial play area and sports fields. I have personally enjoyed interacting with the school over the construction period and wish the pupils and staff every success in their new environment.”
Headteacher Liz Bannister said: “We are all delighted with our beautiful new school building and are grateful to the builders Kier Construction, who designed and built such an amazing resource for the community. Now that The Rissington School is on two sites, our beautiful Victorian building in Great Rissington along with this lovely new build for the children of Upper Rissington, our school can go from strength to strength!”
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