Royal visit for Avon Valley School
The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College has a royal appointment yesterday when HRH The Earl of Wessex arrived to officially open the school.
The visit was arranged after former Head Girl, Hannah Wright, who wrote to the Earl inviting him to the school.
The Earl was shown around the school by Hannah and the Headteacher, Don O’Neill, to take in a wide variety of displays and performances by students.
He saw art exhibitions, a cooking demonstration and performing arts students rehearsing in the dance and drama studios.
The Earl watched a dance routine and musical performance from Miss Saigon before officially opening the school and unveiling a commemorative plaque.
The Earl was presented to Governors and local dignitaries including Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Children, Young People and Families.
Don O’Neill, Headteacher of Avon Valley School, said: ”This was a landmark day for Avon Valley School and recognition of years of hard work from many people to ensure we are able to provide an excellent educational environment for our students.
“We sincerely hope that the The Earl enjoyed the many examples of outstanding work by our students, particularly in our performing arts specialism. We were able to demonstrate Avon Valley’s innovative approach to the curriculum and a climate geared for academic achievement and success.”
The new £17.7 million school building was completed on schedule and caters for students aged 11-16 years as a Specialist College for the Performing Arts. The school, which was destroyed by fire in June 2004, opened at the start of the last academic year and has 1,100 students on its roll.
Warwickshire County Council, in partnership with the school, invested over £10 million in the project to provide state-of-the-art facilities including a 260-seater theatre, a learning resource centre, a suite of Performing Arts rooms and 45 teaching spaces.
The crescent-shaped building connects the new two and three storey buildings to a teaching block and sports hall which survived the fire. Students have played an active role in the development and were involved in the selection process for the design of the building.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe added: “This school is a shining example of how facilities can shape learning in the 21st century. The school is popular with parents and pupils alike and has a vision which believes that everyone has the potential to succeed.
“I am sure The Earl will enjoy his tour of Avon Valley and meeting the people who help make it such a wonderful school.”
Avon Valley continues to show year-on-year improvements in both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, and in its GCSE results.
Every student is represented by their Year Council, which feeds into the main Student Leadership Group. Avon Valley also has an Eco-Council which aims to improve the environmental output of the school.