The Mayor of Luton opened Stopsley Community Primary School’s new £1.3 million extension on Friday, September 12. It was the first time many parents saw the new building and Year 6 pupils gave them a tour of the new building.
The school’s oldest surviving pupil, Dennis Hawkins, 90, and the current youngest and oldest pupils, Oliver Yates, five, and Zoya Razaq, 11, held a blue ribbon for the mayor to cut, to declare the building open.
Councillor Mohammed Farooq said: “This school has existed for a very long time, and many of the parents who are here today attended this school when they were children.
“Pupils and teachers now have a school building that they can enjoy and be proud of and I am sure the school will continue to be right at the heart of the community for many years to come.”
The Council’s fixed assets team worked with the school’s management team to develop a design that provided covered links between the Edwardian infant school building and the mid war 1940s junior buildings, create bright classrooms, a central management suite featuring more office and meeting space and a new front office area, alongside a new main entrance.
Construction work was carried out over a 13-month period and began in July 2013.
Kim Hall, Stopsley Community Primary School headteacher, said: “A big thank you to all the parents and visitors for their support and coming along to celebrate the completion of our new building.
“The staff and children have patiently watched the building work develop over the last year and have managed to live cheerfully alongside a building site. The final touches have now been made and we wanted the community to see the excellent work that has been created.
“The school is growing in numbers and Ofsted has rated it as good. There is a bright future ahead and we look forward to going from strength to strength.”