New £5m school for Kensington primary
by Educate Magazine November 6, 2015 · All News / Primary School News
A Kensington primary school has opened the doors to its new £5 million building.
The new building at New Park Primary School, which was officially opened by Mayor Joe Anderson, replaces the previous Victorian structure which was over 100 years old and costing a lot of money to maintain.
The new school includes a dedicated cooking room, 4D immersive learning space, outdoor classrooms with canopies and a ‘Spanish Step’ area for assemblies and performances.
It is part of a £169 million scheme which is seeing 17 new and refurbished schools funded through a mix of investment from the government and contributions from the council.
Headteacher Karen Hutchings says: “We are all so proud of our new school and have been fortunate to have had so much say in its design and creating the learning spaces.
“Everyone who comes into the building absolutely loves it and the feedback we’ve had from parents and pupils is absolutely fabulous.
“I can’t emphasise enough how much of a transformation it is compared to what we had before. Our outdoor space was a concrete jungle, whereas now we have different areas where children can play games or just sit and read quietly if they want to.
“It’s a great building for our children to be taught in.”
The story of the new building has been told in a new book written by three of its pupils.
Pupils also unveiled a special sculpture detailing the remarkable history of the school’s site. In the 1800s it was home to Liverpool Botanical Gardens – which was second only to Kew Gardens in London in terms of the quality of its collection, and Liverpool Zoological Gardens which had caged lions and tigers with antelope running free.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson says: “This is a fantastic new school for Kensington and is a major boost for present and future generations of young people.
“I am so pleased that the school are delighted with the new facilities, improving their surroundings and enabling them to use the latest technology to deliver a fantastic education to their children.”
