TEACHERS have welcomed youngsters into the city's first school educating pupils aged from four to 16.
Monday saw the opening of the new £38.9m secondary expansion of St Mark's Church of England School in Shirley.
Some 900 new school places have been created, with the primary wing having two floors and 14 classrooms - along with a hall and playground.
Secondary school pupils have three floors, 22 classrooms, seven science labs, and two dedicated IT rooms, as well as its own large hall.
The two wings are joined by a middle canteen so that students from primary and secondary can mix as one community.
Stephanie Bryant, the executive headteacher of St Mark’s, said: “After four and a half years of consultations, planning, building works and curriculum development, I am ecstatic that we are finally opening the all-through school to the community.
“The dedication from all partners and the St Mark’s team to get to this point is to be commended.”
The school also has a large sports field with many sports areas, and an extra section which is still in construction and will be completed in December.
The major expansion project was led by Southampton City Council’s property team in partnership with the Diocese of Winchester and with the support of Morgan Sindall Construction and Faithful+Gould.
The construction generated £220m in ‘social value commitments’ and led to many new jobs, they said.
Clifford Kinch, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction spoke about how ‘the smiles’ on the children’s faces will be ‘testament’ to all the work the construction firm has put in.
He said: “The new school will provide first-class educational facilities for both current and future generations to enjoy.
"The provisions inside St Mark’s will play an integral role in inspiring children and creating an enjoyable environment for them to play and learn in, which is why they have been carefully designed and delivered with pupils in mind.
“The smiles on their faces as they begin a new school year in a bright, modern building will pay testament to all of the hard work carried out by our team and subcontractors and the collaboration between ourselves, Southampton City Council and Faithful+Gould.”
The school will have two classes a year in primary and six classes per year in secondary.
St Mark’s School welcomed its first intake of 180 Year 7 pupils on Monday and will open its Year 8 next year, and Year 9 the year after, and so on until the school is full in 2026.
The school will be welcoming parents and carers of prospective pupils for Year R and Year 7 at an open evening on Wednesday, September 21 from 6pm to 8pm.
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.
Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.
You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.
Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.
Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook
Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel