THE work of pupils at an expanding Southampton school will be enshrined in their surroundings forever, after stained glass windows they helped to design were unveiled.
Pupils at the expanding St John’s Primary & Nursery School helped to create four spectacular stained glass windows in one of the school’s refurbished buildings.
The windows are part of a £2.5m Southampton City Council scheme to double the school’s capacity over the next few years. Created through support from community partner MSC Cruises Ltd, the windows in St John’s Mission Hall celebrate the city’s rich seafaring history with images depicting a cruise ship, the Mayflower, Calshot Spit lightship, the docks and the medieval Bargate gatehouse.
The cruise line funded replacement of the existing plain windows in the hall, linking the project to the school’s National Curriculum lessons about Southampton’s role as a gateway for goods and people in the past and the present.
The school’s expansion plans also include converting the quayside’s landmark Eagle Warehouse, making classroom space for 210 more children and thus raising the school’s total capacity to 420 pupils.
Renovations to Eagle Warehouse will be completed by December 2015.
A refurbished Mission Hall will now give pupils a place for physical education classes, dances, school plays and other activities.
Robert Hardy, interim head of education at Southampton City Council said: “The pupils at St John’s Primary School have done a fine job with these stained glass windows, and now have a bigger space in the Mission Hall building for all kinds of school activities.
“With the expansion of St John’s Primary School ongoing, Southampton City Council is undertaking a £30m capital improvements campaign that will provide an additional 3,378 primary school places by September 2015 to ensure that the growing number of pupils in our city have modern and appropriate learning spaces.”
Lisa Nicholson, head teacher at St John’s Primary & Nursery School, said: “The children have covered a whole range of topics as well as the art and design – we’ve been able to develop their creative writing, look at different cultures around the world, understand how the port works and even incorporate cruise prices into our maths lessons.”
Giles Hawke, MSC Cruises’ executive director UK & Ireland, said: “Southampton is home to the UK’s cruise industry and we are very proud to be part of the local community.
“Having the chance to create a permanent tribute to its maritime heritage is something we are delighted to have been involved in.”
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