A ‘KEY milestone’ has been reached in the construction of a new Science Centre at Princethorpe College.
After years of planning, the start of work on the new building has been officially marked with a turf cutting ceremony.
The College describes the £8million project as its ‘largest and most ambitious to date’, and says the new centre – which will house 10 new science laboratories – will transform the campus by allowing other areas to be redeveloped and departments clustered within the main school building.
Headmaster Ed Hester and incoming Heads of School Pratheesh Prabakaran and Freya Mills put on hard hats and hi-vis jackets to perform the official ground-breaking ceremony.
They were joined by Trendgrey Construction Ltd MD Nick Henderson, Foundation Assistant Head Alex Darkes, Trendgrey Site Agent Kevin Wynne, Chair of the Old Princethorpians Association Peter Rollason, and long-standing ‘Very Special Old Princethorpian’ Mary Wheildon.
Mr Hester said: “The start of the construction work marks a key milestone for the college. This new building will provide cutting edge, state-of-the-art science facilities and help inspire future generations of Princethorpe scientists, engineers, researchers, chemists, doctors and more.
“In a demanding world where scientific progress is essential, we need to provide the very best facilities for teaching and learning to stimulate the intellect, ambition and creativity of our pupils. This tremendous new building will enable us to do just that.”
Mr Darkes added: “After years of planning, this is a very exciting day for us all here at Princethorpe. It won’t be long before we start to see some big changes on site as Princethorpe’s vision for the future starts to become a reality.”
The Science Centre is due for completion in mid-2023, ready for opening at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year.
