Staff and pupils at St Margaret’s Church of England Academy (SMA) celebrated the official opening of their new facilities with some very special guests.
The Bishop of Liverpool, the Right Reverend Paul Bayes, officially opened the Aigburth school’s new teaching facilities.
The new state of the art teaching facilities include a new drama theatre and food technology suite, alongside new dining facilities. The £2 million investment was delivered as part of Mayor Joe Anderson’s £169 million Liverpool School Investment Programme.
Alongside Bishop Paul, special guests on the day included, the Lord Mayor Councilor Roz Gladden and consort, Councillor Roy Gladden, as well as the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ann O’Byrne.
Councillor O’Byrne, said: “Our pupils deserve the very best education and these new facilities at St Margaret’s are already making a massive difference, enabling them to extend their range of academic and vocational courses, giving students more choice in the subjects they can study. In addition, we have made sure that the vast majority the sub contracted construction spend was with local firms in and around the city region, which has helped support and create jobs.”
On the day, guests enjoyed a tour of the new facilities before Bishop Paul led the official opening ceremony in the new drama hall.
Bishop Paul also led a question and answer session with pupils, similar to the format of this year’s “Grill a Bishop” tour of Liverpool Church of England secondary schools. Pupils were able to put their questions about faith, religion, and politics, or any other topic of their choice, to the Bishop.
He said: “Providing an all-round education which forms and shapes young people to make a difference is the gift a top quality church school can offer the community. As I opened these state-of-the-art facilities at St Margaret’s I was powerfully reminded of that fact. We can make a difference for generations to come.
“So it was great to be at an excellent school, being challenged and encouraged by the students as part of my “grill-a-bishop” tour. I was thrilled by the warm welcome I received and pray for St Margaret’s as they continue to serve their children and all of our community”.
Head teacher, Stephen Brierley, says: “The official opening of the new teaching facilities marks a significant moment in the life of our school, and we were delighted to welcome our special guests into the school to be a part of such a momentous day.
“The new facilities have enabled us to broaden our curriculum, offering pupils more opportunities and alternative routes into their chosen careers. This marks the beginning of what is set to be an exciting time for SMA, as we develop our thoroughly modern curriculum, and pupils are given more options and greater flexibility to find the right path for them. This new era has been cemented by Bishop Paul’s fitting and inspirational words to pupils.”
