We Shape Buildings, Buildings Shape Us

Banbury School’s new building was officially opened on the 13th March by Michael Gove MP and Cllr. Tony Crabbe. The ceremony included a huge cake, the closing of old Stanbridge, and a ribbon being cut by a tiny pair of scissors.

The many faces of Banbury were there to celebrate with the old, the present and the future students of Banbury School. I got to speak to many of these guests, and all of them said the same thing: this building is fantastic. Even Tony Baldry MP expressed his view of how important this new building is for Banbury School's developments, and how it is now, “starting to have its own identity.”

I even had the opportunity to speak with Michael Gove who opened the new building, who stated Banbury School has been, “fortunate to receive such a fantastic building,” and when I asked what he thought of the building, he told me he was, “very impressed.”

In his opening speech, Mr Gove gave a wonderfully appropriate Winston Churchill quote, “We shape buildings, then buildings shape us.” His speech remained short yet sweet and captured the importance of the ceremony for everyone. He even joked that the new building was like a Doctor Who regeneration.

Pauline – a former pupil of Banbury School – told me she was, “taken back, but I am worried about the carpet. All that hoovering!”

The ceremony was of great importance to all those involved previously or currently with Banbury School. It reminded us that although the building has changed, the people have not and the memories will never be lost.

By Alice

The new Banbury School building has amazing eco-friendly features and these are beneficial to lower the school’s CO2 emissions. Some of the green characteristics are things like sensor lights that react to the natural light in the rooms and extra big windows to let more of the natural light in. Another useful eco-friendly feature are the newly installed fans that bring fresh air into the building and there are special features on the roof of the building that extract the old CO2.

The new building is also very high-tech with interactive whiteboards in nearly every room. Students of Banbury School are extremely happy with the new school building. One student said, ‘I think the new school building will help other schools change their ways and go eco-friendly, also I think that the new high-tech features will help us get a better learning experience from our time at Banbury school.’

Even the people of Banbury are happy with the new building. One parent said, ‘I think it is a good idea to build a new high-tech building because it will help my children to get the most out of their education.’

This new building could be the way forward for all schools and could help them cut their CO2 emissions and make the world a greener place for all school children.

By Chris