Turnham Primary Foundation School pupils celebrate school revamp
BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk
Pupils will be able to put the days of temporary classrooms behind them after the completion of a facelift for an 80-year-old school’s buildings.
Staff and parents joined the party last Friday to celebrate the grand re-opening of Turnham Primary Foundation School, which serves the Honor Oak Estate in Lewisham.
The pupils now have nine new classrooms, a dance studio, state of the art cooking and nutrition suite, and a roof terrace kitchen garden.
The doors to the school first opened 83 years ago, but it was closed during the Second World War and used as a fire station.
It reopened in 1985 but has long been in need of extra classrooms to cope with growing demand for pupil places.
The refurbishment building works started over two-and-a-half years ago and pupils at the school had become accustomed to learning in temporary classrooms and so they were delighted when the red ribbon was cut by one of their sporting inspirations, boxer Anthony Yarde.
Pupil Learning Ambassadors at Turnham Primary hosted tours of the upgraded school building and grounds during Friday’s party.
The school recently announced the launch of a Pupil Parliament led by their very own, newly appointed “Pupil Prime Minister” who also attended with the Young Mayor of Lewisham, the local councillor, Lewisham’s director of education, representatives of building contractor Lengards, the project manager and other guests.
Turnham’s Pupil Parliament is one of a number of exciting initiatives undertaken by the newly appointed executive headteacher, John Halliwell, who said: “It is hugely important to us to provide the kinds of learning opportunities that empower our pupils to have a say on school-wide issues, and more broadly, on global issues such as the environment.
“The Pupil Parliament will further enable our pupils to lead on aspects of school life in a meaningful, aspirational way.”
The school has a reputation for its commitment towards dance and this was demonstrated with a showstopper special performance from the school’s amazing dance troop, fresh off the back of their recent performance at the Catford Broadway Theatre.
Soul singer Ruth Brown, who first made her mark on TV talent show The Voice, joined the singing.
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