Delight as new primary school opens its doors for first ever pupils this week
An excited 27 nursery and primary school pupils started life at a new state of the art school in Shrewsbury this week.
Bowbrook Primary School opened its doors to staff and its first year of pupils at its brand-new building on Squinter Pip Way.
The opening of the school marks the first stage completion of a £17m project which involved the development of the primary school and the soon-to-be-complete Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school after both were given planning approval in September 2022.
Thanks to £7.5m capital investment from Shropshire Council, the new primary school operated by The 3-18 Education Trust, provides modern teaching environments and will accommodate 210 pupils (as well as additional places in a nursery) and includes:
- A multi-use games area court
- Two large grass pitches
- Hard-standing play areas
- Soft informal play areas
- Habitat area consisting of native wildflower planting.
Kirstie Hurst-Knight, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children and education, said:0
“I’m delighted to see Bowbrook Primary School now opening its doors and welcoming its first pupils.
“I have continued to follow the progress of the school and despite the challenges caused by the pandemic, I’m extremely proud of the work and commitment that has gone into creating this impressive new building, that will provide current and future generations with excellent facilities and quality learning environments. This is such an achievement.
“Bowbrook Primary School is an important and exciting development as we look to meet the demand for school places in this area of Shrewsbury, and is one of several projects we are investing in to secure high-quality and sustainable provision of primary and secondary places in the town and surrounding areas.
“This is a fantastic new chapter in our development to future proofing primary school placements for the foreseeable future.
“I’d like to wish all pupils and staff the very best in their first week at their brand-new school.”
Further information
Shropshire Council has invested in a multi-million-pound programme to expand the primary and secondary school provision across Shrewsbury to meet the increasing demand for pupil places across the town and surrounding areas.
The Shrewsbury schools programme include the following developments:
- Haughmond federation new build (Sundorne Infant /Harlescott Junior schools)
- New primary school and SEND school at Bowbrook
- Expansion of Meole Brace School (secondary).
The development of Bowbrook Primary School and the SEND school has been funded by Shropshire Council and the Department for Education.
Each school will be run separately, with the primary school being funded by Shropshire Council and operated by The 3-18 Education Trust. The SEND school is funded by the Department for Education and will be managed by the Youth Engagement Schools (YES) Trust.
The SEND school – Keystone Academy will be moving into their new building in late 2023 and will accommodate 120 pupils, both primary and secondary age.
Construction of the site has been delivered by Bowmer and Kirkland.
