Big day as Westergate school prepares for a new beginning

The start of the new academic year on Wednesday, September 3, will mark the beginning of its status as a specialist school in visual and performing arts.

Students arriving for their first lessons of the term on the Lime Avenue campus will enjoy a curriculum in which creativity will be to the fore alongside traditional academic subjects such as English and maths.

Deputy headteacher Andrea Hill said: "The first day of the new term will be a really important day. The school is just going to take off.

"Our new status is going to give us a fabulous opportunity. We are going to start work on the capital project '“ to create a performing arts centre '“ as soon as possible.

"It is going to take about a year before that is completed but parts of the school are going to look very differently this time next year."

Centrepiece of the school's new status will be the performing arts centre. This will be opened in the transformed building which presently doubles as a hall and canteen.

A new canteen is being built to pave the way for a 200-seat auditorium to be opened in the current one. All the backstage and technical equipment needed to present a professional standard of performance will also be installed.

The auditorium will be available for use by surrounding residents to give the Six Villages their only dedicated artistic centre.

"We are hoping members of the community do get involved with it," said Mrs Hill.

The work is being funded by a 100,000 grant from the Department for Children, Families and Schools on top of the 50,000 the school raised in a campaign which lasted several years.

A further 100-plus for each student for each of the next three years is also being given to the school by the government.

But equally important as the physical changes to the 750-student school, which opened in January, 2000, will be those that happen within the classrooms.

Mrs Hill explained: "The difference for the whole school is there will be an emphasis on creativity across the curriculum.

"We are encouraging every teacher to look at teaching their subject as creatively as possible. That is going to be the focus for us."

Steve Nelmes, the school's headteacher, said last week's GCSE record results were the ideal preparation for the arrival of the specialist status.

"We couldn't have hoped for a better start for this year '“ a year that sees the beginning of our status as a specialist school," he said.

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