Page 14 - link magazine

14 The virtual Link Magazine now online @ www.swindonlink.com

Swindon’s dome soon to be occupied
The countdown to opening the town’s newest secondary school is just a few weeks away when pupils and staff from Hreod Parkway School’s
two sites come together as Nova Hreod.
The Link was invited to tour the foundations of an 18th Century
buildings in March with head- farmhouse found on the site, close
teacher Andrew Fleet and Year 10 to paviours to be engraved by
pupils on the Alternative Curricu- school sponsors.
lum Project, right, who were The youngsters were among the
amazed by the size and the de- very first to tour the buildings;
scriptions of the facilities on offer. some staff will only go inside for
At the centre of the school built the first time over Easter when the
on three floors is a huge covered big move takes place. Whilst work-
atrium easily large enough to ac- men were completing the build-
commodate the whole school. Five ing, and technical people were
spokes radiate from the centre networking computers and furni-
dubbed the Da Vinci Dome to re- ture was being installed, the pu-
flect the recently awarded science pils had a look at the dance studio,
specialist status. The spokes are the gym and sports hall, dining
reflected in the new logo. area and library, and outside am-
Linking the school to the past, phitheatre.
set into the floor is an area of cob- They also went into the ACP
bled stones retrieved from the room in the Year 11 social area
overlooking the playing
Dancing with joy at their new school, Katie Shaw
and Emma Austin fields and, in the distance,
Shaw Community Forest. Mr Fleet said after years of plan- Easter to develop our new identity
Ashley Byers was im- ning, the big move is close at hand. in a new setting.”
pressed by what he saw. “It’s been a massive logistical ex- Pupil David Harris said, “the
“It’s all brilliant; the giant ercise to maintain the delivery of new school is massive and amaz-
sports hall is the best part.” education while preparing to bring ing. The ACP room looks really
Emma Austin thinks the the upper and lower school to- good and the dome is fantastic.
mirrored dance studio is gether in one building. Staff have You can’t call the old buildings a
great. “The whole place is done a great deal of hard work to school anymore.”
really good; we’re really ensure everything goes smoothly. More pictures of Nova Hreod can
lucky to be able to have “The new challenge starts after be seen at www.swindonlink.com
new buildings for our last
year at school. It makes you
feel like working harder.” First Isambard staff and pupils on board
Isambard Secondary School in Priory Vale is already being used by
the community and the governors and headteacher Rachael Mattey
have started to appoint staff ready to open the school in September.
She has already pleted in July.
been joined by her Uptake of the 240
PA Diane Northam, places at Isambard
and has appointed a has been good with
business manager. 183 pupils making it
Two assistant their first choice.
heads will take up The final number
their posts after is likely to be higher
Easter: science spe- once families review
cialist Susan Banks, their options over
who was assistant the next few weeks,
head at Ms Mattey’s PA Diane Northam, left, and there will be
previous school in with Rachel Mattey spare capacity for
Luton and PE teacher, Terry children moving into the area.
Conaghan from Southall. Ms Mattey has been visiting lo-
Morag Masters, currently work- cal primary schools and the chil-
ing at Churchfields, has been ap- dren are looking forward to mov-
pointed special needs co-ordinator. ing in. “It’s very exciting as it gets
The school will open with 11 closer,” she said. “Time is going
teachers, including the assistant incredibly quickly and it won’t be
heads, and four support staff. long before we’re up and running.
Phase One of the building work The children I speak to say they
is complete and includes the sports can’t wait.”
facilities
which
are al-
ready in
use by lo-
cal clubs.
The
class-
rooms in
phase
two will
be com-

1 April 07 14 15/3/07, 2:59 pm