King’s School: September Starts on a New £60m Campus
The King’s School in Macclesfield has welcomed its first pupils to the stunning new £60 million campus on 3rd September.
Originally founded in 1502 in a small chapel of St. Michael’s Parish Church for just a handful of local boys, King’s will now educate 1200 boys and girls the ages of 3 – 18 in one of the UK’s most stunning educational settings.
The inspiring learning environment was completed by construction company Vinci only 6 weeks before opening, as their teams met strict Covid-19 protocols over a difficult spring and summer.
The main academic building, designed to maximize space, natural light and outdoor areas is occupying a fabulous eco-friendly site on sheltered, tree-lined land between Prestbury and Over Alderley.
Facilities include a music recital hall, a conference hall for 900 people, a lecture theatre, large drama and performance hall, art gallery and science gardens.
A separate Sports Centre provides an impressive range of facilities including a six-lane swimming pool, built to Sports England specifications, plus an indoor three-lane cricket centre, a dance / martial arts studio, a large six-court sports hall, plus a café for pupils and parents. Alongside the new Sports Centre are expansive areas for outdoor sports such as the First XI Cricket pitch, eight rugby pitches, two floodlit all weather Astroturf pitches, six floodlit tennis and netball courts, a 400-metre athletics track and a dedicated rounders pitch.
Staff have also been keen to maximize the stunning rural setting by developing outdoor learning areas, including outdoor classrooms and teaching areas. Bee hives, orchards, bat boxes, ponds and woodland are just some of the additional features that set the campus apart as a special learning environment.
Governors, senior management and teaching staff have been working tirelessly not only to equip the new school, but also to prepare for new Covid-19 social distancing measures. “A major advantage of the new school is, quite simply, the immense amount of space we have inside and outside the building which will enable us to meet the new guidelines,” said Head of Foundation, Jason Slack, who has recently moved up from Henry VIII School in Coventry to take the reins.
He takes over from former pupil, Dr Simon Hyde, who first started planning for a new single site eight years ago in 2012. Now both the school’s former sites on Fence Avenue and Cumberland Street have been sold for housing.
Jason Slack added: “It has been an incredibly busy summer for staff with the move as well as getting ready for opening in a Covid-safe way in September, but the prize of the stunning new campus, set in glorious Cheshire countryside and with enviable facilities, makes all the hard work worth it. And in some ways, the opening of the new campus was even more special because of the difficult year. More than ever, the excitement of coming together as a single community feels really special. Opening the doors this September has a greater significance for our 1,200 pupils and 300 staff than any of us could ever have imagined.”
