Inside the new building at Sir Thomas Fremantle School in Winslow

In a move that has been described as momentous in the life of the school, Sir Thomas Fremantle has opened its new building.
The newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured with pupils and staff is head Darren LyonThe newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured with pupils and staff is head Darren Lyon
The newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured with pupils and staff is head Darren Lyon

The new building at the school in Winslow is now home to 400 students within the Year 7 to Year 11 age groups and will welcome more in September when its new sixth form unit opens.

Some students and staff had spent the first four years of the school’s life in a temporary building at the Winslow Centre.

Headteacher Darren Lyon said of the new premises: “We have five science laboratories, a food technology room and a performance hall.

The newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured is head Darren LyonThe newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured is head Darren Lyon
The newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured is head Darren Lyon

“We also have a four court sports hall, a miniature 3G football pitch, tennis and netball courts and a dance studio.”

Other additional facilities are more classrooms, a cafe and a space for the school’s RAF Combined Cadet Force.

The new building cost £12 million with the money coming from funding body the Education Funding Agency.

Mr Lyon said he had received very positive feedback from students since the new building opened.

The newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured is head Darren LyonThe newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured is head Darren Lyon
The newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured is head Darren Lyon

He said: “This new building is great for the students and for the area.

“We have had some really positive feedback from the students.

“They particularly like the new sports hall, performance studio and specialist classrooms.

“They love the fact there is more space and it is a really airy environment.”

The newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured is the main hallThe newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured is the main hall
The newly opened Sir Thomas Fremantle School, a free school in Winslow - pictured is the main hall

The new sixth form unit will be able to cater for up to 200 students and Mr Lyon said that so far they had received about 50 sign-ups.

The school was graded ‘Good’ in its first Ofsted inspection in 2015 with the ‘behaviour and safety of pupils’ judged as Outstanding.

The school also has its first cohort of students picking up GCSE results in August this year.

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