Greensward Academy opened its new buildings in this months education news
Mark Francois MP officially opened the new state-of-the-art education environment at Greensward Academy in Hockley, which replaces nearly half of the school’s 1960s buildings.
The Department for Education granted the £15.5 million needed for the work to begin in January 2011 and set the ball rolling on plans which included updating the street view of the school.
Joining Mr Francois at the official opening ceremony were Greensward’s incoming principal, Katie Scarnell, and former principal, David Triggs, who launched the Academies Enterprise Trust on the back of his success at Greensward, as well as former staff and parents.
Mr Triggs said: ‘It is remarkable to build a building of this size while keeping the school going; that is testament to everyone associated with the school.’
Mud, mud, glorious mud
Six Brentwood School Second Year pupils gladly wallowed in mud to raise more than £1,700 for charities close to their hearts.
The six best friends – Amelia Anderson, Frankie Collins, Lottie Lloyd, Lauren Burgin, Anneliese Gennings and Lucy Holloway – entered as a team in the recent 3km Nuclear Races event at the Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker.
Mrs Nina Anderson, mother to Amelia Anderson, explained: ‘My mum passed away from cancer nearly 13 years ago and my family and I set up a trust and have been raising hundreds of thousands of pounds ever since. The girls had a brilliant morning and I couldn’t be prouder of them.’
Soaring High pupils ‘grow wild’
A native wild flower patch has been created at Marks Hall Gardens and Arboretum by pupils from Soaring High Montessori Primary School in Coggeshall, as part of an initiative run by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
Grow Wild is the UK’s biggest-ever wild flower campaign, bringing people together to transform local spaces with native pollinator-friendly wild flowers and plants. Coggeshall in Bloom applied to Kew to receive the Ready, Steady, Sow kit, and the Soaring High pupils planted seeds along a pathway which has recently been extensively landscaped to improve access to the arboretum’s newly established Acer Glade.
Writtle achieves University College status
Writtle College has been awarded University College status and from August this year will be known as Writtle University College. Established in 1893 and located just outside the city of Chelmsford, Writtle has a long history of providing education related to the land, environment, animals, design and sport.
This is the second milestone achievement in the space of a year for Writtle, which was granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers in March 2015 which means Writtle is able to provide its own degree courses from September 2017, rather than University of Essex validated degrees.
Dr Stephen Waite, Writtle principal since 2013, said: ‘This is a magnificent achievement and I am absolutely delighted with the outcome. Not only for ourselves, but also for the city of Chelmsford and the county of Essex, as it will further enhance the profile of education within the region.’
