Pupils and staff at St Mary’s, in Derby, have moved into the UK’s greenest primary school, three years after their original building was devastated by fire
St Mary’s is the country’s first biophilic school and has been built as part of a pilot project by the Department for Education.
Biophilic design focuses on connecting those inside with nature, with the goal of promoting physical and mental health.
The school’s original building burnt down in October 2020 and pupils and staff were based at St James’ House, in Mansfield Road, Derby, from April 2021.
Amanda Greaves, Executive Headteacher at St Mary’s, said: “I can’t quite believe this day is finally here. I am so delighted for the children, staff, parents and wider community as we begin the next chapter in the new St Mary’s, the greenest school in the UK. It has been an absolute privilege to be part of this incredible pathway project.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has played a part in supporting us during the most challenging 3 years; our dedicated staff, our loyal parents/carers, the St Ralph Sherwin Trust, Diocese of Nottingham and the people of Derby. We have appreciated your love, guidance and support throughout this time. I am looking forward to seeing the environment flourish over the coming months and using the tech to measure the impact of the stunning surroundings on pupils’ educational journey, as well as their physical and mental wellbeing.”
Bella Atkin, Year 3 class teacher, said: “It feels a bit surreal to be here but it’s really special. It felt quite nostalgic pulling into the site but once you are in it’s totally different. It’s absolutely beautiful, we are so lucky.
“I think the best thing about the new building is being able to see all of the outside areas from all of the buildings and everything is integrated. We have over 100 trees, the trim trail and lots of benches and everything feels calm and relaxed. Everyone is just excited to be here.”
Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Trust, said: “This move means so much to the St Mary’s community and we are delighted for them after such a long and challenging journey.
“We would like to thank all of the staff, governors, parents, carers and pupils who have pulled together and worked so hard during this difficult time. This fantastic new eco-friendly building will serve generations of children for years to come.”
Peter Giorgio, Director of Education for the Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service, said: “This is a momentous day for everyone connected with St Mary’s and we are thrilled that they have moved into this incredible new building, where the staff will continue to provide children with the very best Catholic education and care.”
Time Lapse footage of St Mary’s new build
provided by Tilbury Douglas
Check the media coverage of the opening of St Mary’s new build here
Derby: Arson-hit school reopens after £8m rebuild – BBC News
BBC One – East Midlands Today, Evening News, 04/12/2023 (go to 10 minutes)
Andy Twigge – 04/12/2023 – BBC Sounds (1.08 in, 1.37 in, 2.08 in and 2.44 in)
Primary school wins national sustainability award
Pupils and staff at English Martyrs’ Catholic Voluntary Academy are celebrating after winning a national sustainability award.
The school, in Long Eaton, won the Sustainability award, and £2,500, at the Department for Education’s Education Estates Awards.
The school’s entry for the awards detailed a number of sustainability projects that pupils and staff have been involved in since 2021.
These include acting as a lead school for sustainability across 25 schools in the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust.
Gemma Ellis, Headteacher at English Martyrs’, said: “I am so proud that the school has won this award. It is a real reflection of the amazing work of the staff and pupils on our sustainability journey. To be recognised for the work we are doing with the children to help them understand the world they are part of, starting with our community, just warms our hearts.”
Jo Pettifer, Let’s Go Zero – Climate Advisor and former Sustainability Lead at the St Ralph Sherwin Trust, said: “The strength of this project lies not just in the incredible work achieved at English Martyrs’ but the way in which inspiration rippled between all SRSCMAT schools.
“I’m privileged to be taking that momentum and energy with me to Let’s Go Zero, a charity supporting schools to become carbon zero by 2030. That’s a huge challenge but transforming our schools will help safeguard the planet for future generations.”
“All SRSCMAT schools are now signed up to receive free advice and practical support from the LGZ climate action advisors, to help us all carry on our award-winning sustainability journeys!”
Projects at English Martyrs’ include a pre-loved uniform exchange, a drive to minimise food waste, sustainable transport weeks and a Vegan Thursday lunch for staff every week.
Widlflower seeds were scattered in parts of the school grounds to boost bio-diversity and a commitment was made to become a zero waste school by ensuring that hard-to-recycle waste was collected for recycling.
One of the school’s biggest projects was creating an eco-garden with funding secured from East Midlands Airport. English Martyrs’ was one of eight schools across the Trust which bid successfully for the EMA funding.
The school also created an online action platform which links all 25 Trust schools on an interactive map. To date, 343 sustainable actions have been replicated across the Trust.
From second left to right: Beverly Quinn (Engineering and Indoor Environment Lead, Department for Education), Max Copeland (teacher at English Martyrs’), Jo Pettifer and Ben Fogle.
St Mary’s Derby – Set to re-open in December 2023
The pioneering new eco building for a Derby primary school destroyed by fire is set to open to pupils and staff in December 2023.
St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy will return to its Broadway site on Monday, December 4th 2023, three years after the blaze at the school’s original building.
The fire broke out at the school in October 2020 and pupils and staff have been based at St James’ House, in Mansfield Road, Derby, since April 2021.
St Mary’s new building is set to be the UK’s greenest primary school, and first biophilic school, as part of a pilot project by the Department for Education.
Biophilic design focuses on connecting those inside with nature, with the goal of promoting physical and mental health.
Amanda Greaves, Executive Headteacher at St Mary’s, said: “This move is a hugely positive and long-awaited milestone and we know that pupils and staff will be excited to finally return to Broadway, to a brand new biophilic school.
“I would like to thank staff for their loyalty, resilience and everything they have done these past three years to provide the very best education in the most difficult circumstances for the good of our pupils and families.
“We continue to be extremely grateful and humbled by the ongoing support we receive from our parents and carers and we would like to thank them for their patience, understanding and support over the past three years.
“The whole community will benefit from what the new school will offer, complementing our mission and vision for St Mary’s now and in the future. ”
The official handover of the site from the contractors, Tilbury Douglas UK, is set to take place on November 24th.
The school will then take INSET days from Monday, November 27th to Friday, December 1st in order to complete the move and prepare the new school to welcome pupils on Monday, December 4th.
Kevin Gritton, Chief Executive of the St Ralph Sherwin Trust, said: “This is a new chapter for St Mary’s and this wonderful new school will be a place where staff will continue to provide children with the very best education and care.
“St Mary’s recent Ofsted report saw it being graded Good overall with Outstanding features and we are looking forward to seeing the school go from strength to strength.”
Simon Butler, Managing Director Building Central at Tilbury Douglas, said: “It is a great to see progress being made onsite and we are continuing to push on with the finishing elements of the build. We look forward to handing the building over at the end of the year for the students, staff and community to use.”
The Federation of All Saints and St Margaret’s Chaplaincy Outreach
Members of Class 3 and the Chaplaincy Team stayed late last Tuesday to make some Easter Gardens.
Some of the children took them into the local community and delivered them to a local care home.
To book your place on Wednesday 29th March from 7pm-8.30pm on Microsoft Teams, please use the button below.
A primary school teacher’s dream of creating a science laboratory for her pupils has come true.
Nashim Prabatani has always wanted to provide pupils at St Edward’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, in Swadlincote, with a purpose built facility dedicated to science to enhance their learning.
Her vision has finally become a reality as the school has opened its own ‘Phiz Lab’, with support from local businesses and the Ogden Trust, which works with schools to promote physics.
The school received a grant of £2,500 from the Ogden Trust, support from electronics company Integrex, logistics company Clipper along with Acorn Home and Garden Services, all based in Swadlincote.
Together they transformed an under-utilised area of the school into a ‘Phiz Lab’, complete with an area for children to complete their investigations using dedicated science equipment.
There is also a comprehensive library relating to science and microscopes for the children to use to extend their learning opportunities within their lessons.
The school also received funding from the Worshipful Glass Sellers Company of London, to buy six telescopes and six pairs of binoculars, which offer children the chance to explore the night sky on a regular basis.
Clipper provided the school with an eye-catching large-scale space inspired mural.
Nashim, class teacher and science lead at St Edward’s, said she was inspired by her love of science to create a dedicated space for the children.
She said: “It feels surreal. To be able to inspire the same love of science that I had as a young child among our children is incredible. It would be wonderful even if one child became a scientist or went on to study science at A-Level or University.
“It’s quite unique for a primary school to have this kind of facility and this has happened because we are part of the Ogden Trust. To have the funding and space to be able to do this is amazing. It is our vision for this to be a space allowing our children to become enthusiastic scientists, with pupils from other schools in the partnership taking advantage of this dedicated facility and for it to be a community hub.”
A pupil from Year 6 said she loved the science lab.
She said: “It’s a really good learning environment and it’s great that it’s a room that is just for science. I look forward to my lessons in here; it is one of my favourite rooms in school.”
A pupil from Year 3 said she felt that pupils were lucky to have such an amazing space in school.
She said: “It’s good, there is lots of equipment in the lab and we’ve got science books in the library. The whole place is really colourful and I enjoy learning in it. It’s my favourite classroom and I love having lessons in here.”
Jayne McQuillan, Headteacher at St Edward’s, which is part of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, said that pupils would benefit hugely from the new lab, that has created a buzz around school.
She said: “I want to thank everyone who has been involved in creating the Phiz Lab. The children love it and staff can come in here and know that all of the equipment they need is to hand. It will allow our pupils to explore and be hands-on with materials, it generates interest and an enthusiasm for science and provides opportunities that you just can’t get in a classroom. We have also had some great feedback from parents about it.”
Pete Dowsett, East Midlands representative for the Ogden Trust, said they were pleased to have been able to support St Edward’s.
He said: “The lab is a brilliant space. It’s great to see the children in their lab coats and they can come here and use this facility which raises the profile of science, and that’s the whole purpose.”
Train to Teach Information Event – Wednesday 23rd November
This event will take place on Teams and is available to anyone who would like to teach in Primary or Secondary schools.
Please click on the link on the right to book your place, or contact Vanessa Scott
Praying the Rosary at All Saints
At the start of October, a month dedicated to saying the Rosary, the Chaplaincy team at All Saints, Glossop, led morning prayer with the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. The Headteacher, Mrs. Beaumont, bought all the children their own Rosary beads. We also had a cake sale to raise money for CAFOD and amazingly we raised £126.45.
Thanks to all who supported the cake sale.
Requiem Mass for Queen Elizabeth II
A week last Sunday, people from across the diocese gathered at St Barnabas’ cathedral, Nottingham, to celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth 2nd. Student and staff representatives from the Saint Ralph Sherwin CMAT attended, with some of our students playing a key role in the Mass by reading the prayers of the faithful and with the offertory procession.
It was lovely being there with them and the staff who supported them.
As a Trust, we wish to express our sadness following the death of HRH, Queen Elizabeth II.
Staff in schools across the Trust will be discussing the events with our pupils and ensuring that they are supported in the coming days and weeks.
The Queen was a person of great faith and we are thankful for the exemplary way in which she devoted herself to a life of service. We pay tribute to her tremendous dedication and commitment and recognise the integrity which permeated her reign, along with her deep sense of duty.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family, and the nation, at this sad and difficult time.
CEO Kevin Gritton
