Royal visit to Nailsea School

With the benefit of an Eton education His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester got to Cambridge and this year with the benefit of a Nailsea School education five pupils will be going to Oxbridge.

The Duke who trained as an architect was able to admire the new £32 million school when he visited on Monday for an official royal opening.

He spent just over an hour at the Mizzymead Road comprehensive and on his arrival was greeted by the High Sheriff of Somerset, Patricia Hunt; North Somerset Council chairman Ann Harley and her husband Peter; North Somerset Council chief executive officer Graham Turner and his wife Julie; and Police Authority representative superintendant Richard Cadden.

The Duke, accompanied by Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, Lady Gass, was then introduced to head teacher David New, chair of governors Sally-Ann Hancock and North Somerset Council director of children’s and young people’s services, Sheila Smith.

The new campus, minus the old caretaker’s cottage which was finally demolished this month when the nesting sparrows vacated the building, was spick ‘n’ span for the visit.

Mr New was able to tell the Duke that the build was finished ahead of schedule and within budget.

And respite the disruption of 12-months of construction Nailsea School pupils scored record GCSE and A-level results this year.

On his arrival the Duke saw a sculpture reflecting the theme of change and growth from the old school to the new. 

It was designed by Nailsea students and cast in a local foundry.

The work includes a ball of rope made up of items from the old school and wrapped in an aluminium coating.

The principal designers Harriet Farren and Ellen Knight were on hand to explain the modern work of art which took 18-months to perfect.

Mr New told the Duke that the construction of the new school took 770 tonnes of steel, 325,000 bricks and blocks, 57,600m2 of plasterboard, 59,000m of electrical and 102,000m of data cabling, 9,724 items of loose furniture – not including the 2,641 chairs – which is divided into six learning zones.

And where other local authorities added several million pounds into their projects, Nailsea has been developed entirely within the funding allocated by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, said Mr New.

North Somerset Council project team even managed to reserve sufficient funds to include a floodlit all-weather pitch.

During his visit the Duke toured some of the 65 classrooms, three lecture theatres, eight seminar rooms, two ‘super-labs’ and the fully equipped catering training kitchen which are included in the building.  

He also had the opportunity to talk to students as they work on some of the 710 computers including 105 integrated Apple Macs before being presented with a piece of Nailsea glass and unveiling a plaque which read ‘HRH The Duke Of Gloucester KG GCVO on Monday, September 20, to celebrate the completion of the whole school site’.

Addressing the crowds in the school atrium, Prince Richard said: “Thank you, it has been a great pleasure to come and see such a splendid school.

“I get asked to open a lot of schools, and they just seem to get better and better, but this one is a great example.

“It always seems to me that a school that gets a new building must be doing something well.

“I wish the best of luck to all who come here and it gives me great pleasure to declare the new school officially open.”

The Duke was told that over the course of the project exam results have risen significantly from 57 per cent five A*-C grades at GCSE in 2006 to 75 per cent in 2009 and 79 per cent in 2010. 

Mr New said: “This year Nailsea achieved the best A-level results in North Somerset with 29 per cent of exam grades at A or A* and 61 per cent at grades A*-B. 

“Four out of five grades were at C or above, with five students Natasha Crook, Imogen Daynes, Ben Harris, Sam Knight and Andrew McCardle gaining places at Oxford or Cambridge.”

The building project was part of the now defunct Building Schools for the Future programme implement by the previous government.

Nailsea School was originally built in the late 1950s as a grammar school and celebrated its half centenary in 2009.

It has more than 1,200 pupils on roll.

Since opening this September after the summer holidays the school has implemented a strict dress code although this has not pleased a minority of pupils.

At an assembly this week some non-conformists were told to lengthen their skirts or find new schools.

The school has issued a statement defending its stance.

It said: 'The Nailsea School uniform was designed and selected by students following a fashion show and ballot and is approved by the governors.

'We believe we are the only school nationally whose uniform has been both designed and selected in this way.

'The vast majority of students understand the importance, in terms of their future prospects, of maintaining the high reputation of Nailsea School, part of which is through wearing the school uniform with pride.

'Parents sign the home school agreement in which they promise to ensure that their children follow the school rules and wear the school uniform.

'Nailsea School will never apologise for having high standards in terms of achievement, behaviour or appearance.'

The parents of one child contacted the Daily Mail who reported the incident online.