Official opening of £5.5m Rakegate Primary School
Issued: 7 February 2008
A brand new £5.5 million Wolverhampton primary school was officially opened today (Thursday, 7 February).
Councillor Christine Irvine, the city’s cabinet member for schools, unveiled a plaque at Rakegate Primary in Renton Road, Oxley. The state-of-the-art facility is only the second new school to be built in the city in the last 30 years.
The new Rakegate joins together the infants and juniors in one building on the site of the old juniors. Previously the school was split across two separate sites.
The project was funded by the Government, Wolverhampton City Council and the school itself. The building includes an eye-catching central atrium, a nursery, dance studio, sports hall, community facilities, an exciting range of outdoor play facilities and an environmental walkway. It also houses a children’s centre which will provide childcare and health services to the local community.
Pupils and staff were involved with the design of the school and each class was able to choose their own colour scheme.
The school was constructed by West Midlands-based Morgan Ashhurst (formerly Bluestone) and was built with environmentally friendly materials and has energy saving features.
Councillor Christine Irvine, Wolverhampton City Council cabinet member for schools, who is also a governor of Rakegate, said: “I have been involved with this immensely exciting project from the beginning and I’m absolutely delighted to have carried out the official opening. First-class facilities like these provide a stimulating environment for children to learn and teachers to teach.”
Steve Harris, headteacher of Rakegate Primary, said: “It already feels like home here. Since we moved here last September, everyone has been very impressed and the children enjoy learning here. The new play areas with all their equipment have proved to be very exciting for the children and the ICT suite is an excellent facility. This is not only a purpose-built modern school, but also a facility for the whole community to make use of.”
Additional information
Rakegate is only the second new school to be built in Wolverhampton in 30 years. The first new school – St Jude’s – which opened in 2006 was nominated for a national design award and Rakegate meets similar high standards.
Issued by the press office.