Great Western Academy officially opens

We are delighted to announce the opening of Swindon’s new Great Western Academy. A special assembly was held on Monday 22nd October for students and staff to mark the occasion. Having welcomed year 7 pupils through its doors for the very first time in September, the school offers the latest state-of-the-art education facilities to students at Tadpole Garden Village.

The £21m school is the first new secondary school in Swindon for a decade and offers sought-after school places to younger residents in the surrounding area. Facilitated by Crest Nicholson, the facilities include a theatre, sports hall, dance studio, drama studio and specialist science and technology rooms. The outdoor space includes a beautifully landscaped social space, multi-use games area and extensive playing fields.

The Academy was officially opened by British space scientist and educator Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE with a talk around the wonders of space science. The opening also included a short talk from Graham Davis, Principal of GWA, and celebratory performances from students.

The event was also attended by many stakeholders who have been involved in the opening of the Academy, including leaders of Swindon Borough Council, BAM Construction, Crest Nicholson, New College and Justin Tomlinson, MP.

Graham Davis, Principal of the Great Western Academy, said: ”Our mission is to create an exceptional Academy that radically improves our students’ career chances. We want every learner to do well enough to go on to realise their ambitions by achieving excellent results, providing the care that will support them to do so and ensuring an unrivalled range of educational opportunities to help build their skills and confidence.”

Andrew Dobson, Managing Director of Crest Nicholson’s Strategic Projects, commented: “The new Great Western Academy offers opportunity to thousands of children ensuring they receive an education with the best enrichment opportunities and facilities. It is important for us to not only build homes, but also deliver necessary community infrastructure such as schooling. A good education is invaluable, which is why we couldn’t be prouder to have played such a pivotal role in Swindon’s newest secondary school at Tadpole Garden Village.”

The school has a current cohort of 150 pupils in year 7 and a total capacity for 1200, including Sixth Form, which is due to open in 2019. Click here to visit the GWA website.