First all-through school in Bristol opens

Release Date:  12-Jan-2009

First all-through trust school opens in Bristol

A major milestone in the transformation of education in south Bristol will be celebrated when the first students walk through the doors of a new ‘all-through’ Bridge Learning Campus on Monday 12 January 2009.

The innovative Bridge Learning Campus will provide education and training for adults, children and young people from the age of three upwards. It is believed to be the region's first all-through education centre to be run by a trust.

The new £36 million campus brings together a 45-place nursery, Primary School, Secondary School, a Special School, a student support centre for 14-16 year-olds and a 200-place vocational Bridge Learning Centre for 14-19 year olds and adults to be run by City of Bristol College.

Mark Davies, Chief Executive, of the Bridge Learning Campus, said: “At the Bridge Learning Campus we are at the start of a very special new education journey, one which needs to provide children, young people and adults with a quality education and learning experience that realises their potential and their talent.  The Bridge Learning Campus will provide ‘schools within a school’ – each having its own space and its own distinctiveness, yet sharing our overall vision and aims for transforming expectations, aspirations, opportunities and standards.”He added: “Together with our trust partners, City of Bristol College,  the University of the West of England and Bristol City Council, we have created a fabulous learning centre for the local community.”

The new campus will have direct access to the learning, teaching and other expertise at City of Bristol College, UWE, Bristol City Council and their partners.

Bristol City Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Cohesion and Raising Achievement, Councillor Peter Hammond, said: "The Bridge will be cutting-edge in so many ways.  The first all-through school catering for children, young people and adults in Bristol and the first school in the country of this kind to also be run by a trust.  It puts Bristol firmly in the spotlight for educational innovation and will bring quality learning for future Hartcliffe generations."

Designed by architects Wilkinson Eyre and international multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy Buro Happold, the new school has been built to high environmental standards by Skanska UK. An ICT service, including a managed learning environment, will be provided by Northgate Education.
Natural ventilation is maximised with windows drawing in fresh air that rises through chimneys and leaves via louvres on the roof. The buildings make maximum use of natural lighting to reduce electricity use and resulting carbon emissions, and rainwater is recycled to flush toilets. In addition, biomass heating systems burn wood chips to heat the buildings and provide hot water, reducing resultant carbon emissions by 85%.

The campus is one of four new schools that have been developed by Bristol Local Education Partnership (LEP), which comprises Bristol City Council, Skanska, one of the world’s leading project development and construction groups, and the Government agency Partnerships for Schools.

Steve Cooper, Director of Bristol LEP, said: "Completion of The Bridge Learning Campus is a major milestone in our work with Bristol City Council in transforming educational opportunities for young people across the city. We wish the students and staff every success in this new building, which will help revitalise the Hartcliffe area."

Background

Highlights of the new campus include:
A unique focus on sustainability in its design and operation
Strong links with the local community at all stages of the project
Dual school/community use of leisure facilities
A safe environment for students, staff and the community.

The other schools developed by the LEP are Bristol Brunel Academy, which opened in September 2007, Bristol Metropolitan College, which opened last April, and Brislington Enterprise College, which opened in September.
 

Author:   Julia Walton 0117 9222732

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