News archive

February

School celebrates milestone in major redevelopment

Students, staff and governors at Ashton Park School were joined by the Lord Mayor of Bristol in celebrating a special event on Wednesday 24 February 2010.

They took part in a traditional ‘topping out’ ceremony marking completion of the structure of a new three-storey building that replaces 50-year-old teaching blocks.

December

Go ahead for new school buildings in Bishopston

Plans to build new school buildings on the former Brunel Fields site in Bishopston got the go-ahead from Bristol City Council planning committee on 2 December 2009.

The buildings will provide much-needed primary school reception places for the area. Parents at Ashley Down Junior School are currently being consulted about this school running the new site to become Ashley Down Primary School.

Official opening for school’s £2.3 million new buildings

Children and staff at Horfield CE Primary School celebrated the official opening of their new school buildings on 11 December 2009.

Over 150 children from the school’s choirs and orchestra performed carols to add to the celebration.

November

Celebrity chef opens Academy’s new café

Enterprising sixth formers at Bristol Brunel Academy have launched a café for students and staff, and celebrity chef Martin Blunos officially opened it on 18 November 2009.
A group of 18 students on a Business Studies course designed the striking-looking café next to the Academy’s main entrance. They will work shifts as pairs of volunteers in serving food and drink from breakfast to early afternoon.

October

Budding engineers create toy fit for royalty

Students presented the Princess Royal with an automaton celebrating Bristol’s engineering achievements when she opened the city’s first all-through campus on 12 October 2009.

Engineering is the Bridge Learning Campus’ specialism so 18 students of all ages, with the help of design technology teacher Simon Carson, designed and made her the moving toy.

New public art unveiled at college

Students at Brislington Enterprise College on 14 October 2009 unveiled a public artwork that they commissioned from a local artist.

The "bunchedupbenchforbec" is a long steel bench that has been installed on both sides of the college after it opened a year ago and surrounding old buildings were demolished.

Princess hears that restorative approaches work in schools

Using new approaches to dealing with conflicts and disputes in schools have improved the climate for learning, increased attendances and reduced exclusions, a conference in Bristol was told on 16 October 2009.

The Princess Royal was keynote speaker at the conference on Restorative Approaches in Schools (RAiS) at Brislington Enterprise College (BEC), one of eight Bristol secondary schools piloting these approaches.

July

Work starts to create major new facility for Bristol’s oldest school

Work has begun on an innovative project to convert a modern office block for use by pupils at Bristol Cathedral Choir School.

Over the summer, the landmark four-storey building at the junction of Anchor Road and College Square will be extensively adapted to create nine classrooms, state-of-the-art ICT facilities and the school’s new Monro Library.

June

Schools agency head slaves for day at new Bristol campus

Students at the new Bridge Learning Campus in Bristol had their lunches served up by the head of a Government agency for school buildings when he ‘slaved for the day’ in aid of charity on 25 June 2009.

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools (PfS), put himself up for auction as a slave for the day to raise money for PfS’s new charity, the Transformation Trust that supports after-school activities.

Primary school children go green with new ‘walking bus’

Children at Horfield CE Primary School in Bristol formed a ‘walking bus’ to get to school on 24 June 2009 in a bid to reduce car journeys and ease local traffic congestion.
Led by their headteacher Alan Sutton, they assembled at Horfield Leisure Centre at Dorian Road and walked to school in high-visibility jackets supplied by Skanska.

May

Six Bristol schools in £100 million rebuilding programme

Thousands of secondary students in Bristol are to benefit from a massive development programme that will see five secondary schools rebuilt and a new special school constructed.

Bristol Local Education Partnership (LEP) has signed contracts with Bristol City Council for the £100 million programme that will complete the transformation of the city’s schools for students aged 11 to 18.

March

Time capsule provides snapshot of pupils’ lives

Children at Horfield CE Primary School in Bristol buried a time capsule on 10 March 2009 to mark completion of the foundations for a major expansion of their school.
Photos of pupils and staff, a newspaper, diaries and recordings of school events were among items chosen by the children for the time capsule.
The £2.3 million project will provide four new classrooms to replace temporary units, a new ICT suite, new library, workrooms for use by small groups of pupils and improved staff facilities.

Primary school reopens after major redevelopment

Children at a Bristol primary school had something special to celebrate when the Lord Mayor, Cllr Christopher Davies, cut a ribbon to celebrate completion of the redevelopment of Henbury Court Primary School on 4 March 2009.

The £1.3 million redevelopment was completed by Bristol Local Education Partnership with Bristol City Council. They are working to rebuild or refurbish many of the city’s primary and secondary schools and improve their facilities.

Out of sadness comes a bright future at Oasis Academy John Williams

A thanksgiving service on 13 March 2009 for the late John Williams, Principal, was followed by a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of a new state-of-the-art building for Oasis Academy John Williams.

Steve Chalke, Oasis founder and CEO of Oasis Community Learning, said: “Even in these very sad circumstances, we want to remember John for all the good he has done, not only in education, but also in the lives of everyone he came into contact with.”

January

Milestone in transforming education in South Bristol

A major milestone in the transformation of education in South Bristol was celebrated when the first students walked through the doors of a new all-through Bridge Learning Campus on 12 January 2009.

The innovative £36 million Campus provides education and training from the age of three upwards. It brings together a 45-place nursery, primary school, secondary school, a special school, a student support centre for 14-16 year-olds and a 200-place vocational Bridge Learning Centre run by City of Bristol College for students aged 14-19 and adults.

December

Work starts on £2.3 million redevelopment of Bristol primary school

Children at Horfield CE Primary School in Bristol today (Tuesday 2 December 2008) celebrated the start of a major expansion project for their school by making Lego models of what the new building will look like.

November

Grand Designs TV presenter opens new Brislington Enterprise College

Grand Designs TV presenter Kevin McCloud joined students, staff and governors of Brislington Enterprise College in celebrating the official opening of their brand new building on Friday 7 November 2008.

New Bristol school wins top award

A new Bristol secondary school has won a top honour in the first annual awards celebrating achievement in a major national programme to transform education.

Brislington Enterprise College won the award for the best school team in the ‘Excellence in Building Schools for the Future’ awards at a ceremony in London last night (26 Nov). The college was also high commended in the award for best design in a new school.

October

Excitement builds at city primary school set for £2.3 million redevelopment

Children and staff at Horfield CE Primary School are inviting parents and others from the local community to come and see their exciting plans for an extensive redevelopment.

The school is holding a special open evening next Wednesday (22 October) at 7pm when visitors will be able to find out about the project. It will provide four new classrooms to replace temporary units, a new ICT suite, new library, workrooms for use by small groups of pupils and improved staff facilities.

August

New building is Bristol’s first ‘school within a school’

Bristol Local Education Partnership (LEP) will present John Matthews, the Principal, and Bristol City Council with the keys to the new school.

July

Former students return to Bristol Metropolitan College after 70 years

Two people in their 80s will go back to school on Friday 11 July to help open Bristol’s newest secondary school, Bristol Metropolitan College.

Alf Shepler (88) and Gwen Price (86) lived only a few doors apart when they were young. They went to separate schools that later merged with others to form Whitefield Fishponds Community School, which ‘Bristol Met’ replaces.

June

Dual-use fitness centre is a first for city

Fitness and leisure provision for Bristol will take a big step forward this month when a
brand new fitness centre opens in a Bristol academy.

Brunel Fitness Centre is the first dual-use fitness facility of its kind in the city. It offers a unique opportunity both for the local community and for students and staff at Bristol Brunel Academy, the new secondary school of which it forms a vital part.

May

Bristol Brunel Academy project scoops top award

Bristol Local Education Partnership has received a top award for the development programme that created the new Bristol Brunel Academy. The award recognises the quality of the partnership's work in the development of Bristol Brunel Academy.

April

Bristol Metropolitan College delivered on time and to budget

Students and their headteacher jumped for joy on the 3rd of April when their brand new secondary school was handed over by the team that built it, on time and on budget.

March

Students and staff bid farewell to their old school and view its new replacement

Hundreds of past and present students and staff gathered at Whitefield Fishponds Community School on 8 March to bid farewell to their old school and see the exciting new building that replaces it.

The old school will close after 35 years next month and reopen as Bristol Metropolitan College. Former pupils, parents, staff and governors took a final opportunity to revisit the old school and also meet old friends.

 

September

Chance to see a bright new future at BEC

Two ex-students of Brislington Enterprise College (BEC) are urging prospective students and parents to come and have a look round the replacement college which they are helping build. BEC hosts an open evening on Thursday and an open morning on Saturday to show what is on offer to students thinking of joining the college next year.

Former students Jacqueline Spring and Dean Moore say the open days will give youngsters and their parents or carers the chance to see the facilities that the new college will provide when it opens in September 2008.

They both now have jobs with Skanska which is constructing the 1,485-place secondary college and will then manage the building. The company is part of the Bristol Local Education Partnership with the City Council and Partnerships for Schools.