CHESTER’S newest primary school has been officially opened.
Chester Blue Coat CE Primary School in the Garden Quarter was declared open for lessons by the Bishop of Chester, the Rt Rev Dr Peter Forster, yesterday.
The £5.8 million ‘super school’ was formed by the merger of the former Victoria Infant School in Cheyney and St Thomas of Canterbury Junior School in Walpole Street and has been built on the Walpole Street site.
Work began in February last year on the timber-framed construction, which has been built by Bardsley Construction after being designed by Chester architects firm Tweed Nuttall Warburton.
Introductions to the Bishop were made by chairman of governors Christine Russell, the former city MP who represented the Garden Quarter area as a city councillor for 17 years, and by school head Vince O’Brien.
The Bishop said children were the world’s future and ideas from young people from the Blue Coat and other schools would shape what would happen in years to follow.
Dr Forster praised the collaboration between the Church, state and local authority in shaping education in more then 100 schools in Cheshire and praised the Labour government for introducing the Building Schools for the Future initative, adding the Blue Coat Foundation had also contributed a large sum towards the cost of the project.
Mrs Russell thanked architect Sarah Pegg for her “can do” approach to the task she had been set and praised the builders for carrying out their work on time without unduly upsetting neighbours.
The official opening comes as the school and its staff received glowing praise from Ofsted inspectors for their teaching standards, leadership and the exemplary behaviour of their pupils.
There will be further chance for people to inspect the new facilities at a special open time on Friday at 2.30pm.