Phase 2 of the capital investment project has made such a positive difference throughout our school building and site.
The two-storey block has been renovated with all classrooms in this area being brought up to an excellent standard. The new configuration of classrooms works so much more effectively and has enabled beautiful learning spaces. This area of school enjoys brand new high quality pupil toilets, fantastic intervention and office space and incredibly smart communal areas including new staircases and an upgraded Captain’s Café area. The external cladding has also been replaced and modernised in a manner that enhances the school significantly.
We are delighted with our Reading Pod which is situated in the heart of our school and adjacent to our library. The new doorway from the library enables access to this enticing and vibrant space. Children can get cosy with a blanket and enjoy their reading in amongst beautifully planted flower boxes. This will be a wonderful area to host our families and community when we are able to have them back in school. The bi-fold doors, which facilitate access from the central corridor add a wonderful ‘wow’ factor and help to make school feel very special.
Our Bamboo Base is now established as our pupil council shop, selling healthy snacks, and a potting area where we pot the plants and flowers that we have grown for our community. We encourage our children to think carefully about the use of sustainable and environmentally friendly materials.
Planning for Phase 3 is well underway and it will be fantastic for our Key Stage 1 classrooms to enjoy the same level of upgrade as has now been the case in the rest of school. Further work will be completed to our Sports Hall with external cladding, decoration and a brand new sports hall floor. We will complete the new dining and assembly room furniture purchase and rejuvenate the floor in this area, ensuring the wooden floor is returned to a beautiful finish.
The staff at Ryecroft are incredibly committed and hardworking. They certainly deserve their staffroom space to be upgraded and improved. It will be fantastic to see this space develop into a great work and social space for the fantastic staff team.
The plans for our Conservation and Community Garden are rapidly moving forward and we do hope we can develop our idea of an outdoor stage and performance area. There is a strong possibility of a further Pentagon development to the front playground also.
I hope you have found this update useful and I would like to thank The GORSE Academies Trust for investing in our fantastic school, children and community.