Melksham Oak Community School Open July 12th

Come September, some lucky 11-year-olds will start their senior

education at Melksham’s smart new secondary school, the Oaks. It’s a far cry

from the outdated, tired facility at George Ward on the opposite side of town.

Built to hold 1350 pupils, it has a 200-place sixth form, and cost £32.6

million, according to construction company Cowlin.

Project manager Dave Jacobs is in charge of overseeing the

scheme. He confirmed  that “things

are on track for the building to be handed over to students and staff to

prepare for opening in September.”

The school stands on grounds the equivalent of five football

pitches and is built in a series of “learning villages”, each designed to in

different building materials and making full use of natural light. It will be

run on largely green lines, with a rain harvester eventually intended to

recycle rainwater to use in the lavatories. The IT suite, gym and sports

facilities, including all-terrain pitches, will all be available for general

use.

The present head of George Ward, Stephen Clerk, is looking

forward to getting settled in at his new base and is planning a series of

introductory tours of the school in July, but not before he has said a proper

goodbye to his old school with an open evening on Saturday 3rd July.

Everybody is welcome, especially with old memories or photos of the school.