Braunton Academy opens new English block, marking a £4m investment
A new page has been written in Braunton Academy’s history as students and staff opened their sparkling new English block.
Author and actor Joseph Elliot and Counsellor Pru Maskell vice chair of Devon County Council were invited to cut the ribbon to officially open the new facility.
Members of the Braunton Partnership, trustees, representatives from Devon County Council and the teams that were involved in the project joined the school council students and year eleven student leaders to celebrate this occasion.
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The event included year nine students and the guests experiencing an inspirational talk from Joseph Elliot on his journey of becoming and being a successful author, followed by a tour of the new building and then an official opening ceremony.
Cllr Maskell said: “It was an honour to be back in my former school today for the opening of their fantastic new English block. A £4 million capital investment from DCC to provide this new facility. Well done to the principal Fay Bowler, her staff and the governors for their hard work and commitment to this project.”
Mrs Bowler added: “When I started my headship at Braunton Academy, I was told by the Trustees that one of the biggest issues we had to manage was the rise in the student population and the problem that not all young people in the catchment area could attend the school.
“Much of the school building is very old, 87 years old to be precis! Which limited our options to provide additional learning spaces within the existing footprint. With one of our core values being community, it has been extremely important to us to find a way to provide an excellent education for all the students in our catchment area.
“I would like to thank our senior and Trustee teams for their creativity and support working with me to find an area of the school that we could expand without losing social play space.
Although the main purpose was celebrating the new English Block, but the development has also allowed for; new sport changing rooms, two new computer rooms, a new multi-purpose classroom, three new inclusion/SEND spaces (serving the most vulnerable students), dedicated teacher training space and a new meeting rooms to meet with parents
“This building and the other improvements are a wonderful legacy for all of us. This building expansion guarantees further generations in Braunton’s catchment area the ability to continue their education at their local school. Hopefully for at least another 87 years.”