New learning space opens at Waltham St Lawrence Primary School

The headteacher of Waltham St Lawrence Primary School is hoping a newly opened learning space will ‘make a huge difference’.

Pupils, teachers and parents gathered in the school grounds on Wednesday, June 11, as headteacher Li-Juan Ellerton welcomed an array of special guests to celebrate the opening of the new multi-purpose space, Swallows.

Guests including Royal Borough mayor Cllr Mandy Brar and her consort Harry Brar, Royal Borough ward councillor for Hurley and the Walthams George Blundell, members of the governing body and school’s PTA and project contributors were in attendance.

The project started after a discussion on future projects at a PTA meeting, and the new building, costing £42,000 was delivered thanks to a range of fundraising initiatives.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Ellerton said: “Like many schools, we have long faced challenges of a lack of space in school.

“Some of our children learn in corridors [and the] cloakroom – areas never intended for teaching and learning.

“It wasn’t ideal, but we made the best of it.

“As part of the School Improvement Plan, we dreamed of another additional space that would allow for more dedicated teaching and learning, where children could learn without distraction.”

The project was ‘three years in the making’ and started taking shape under the leadership of Phillippa Pitt, former chair of the PTA.

The project was undertaken by landscaping business Stone & Webb and after designs and final preparations were complete, the building work started in November last year.

It was completed in January and parents and volunteers then offered their time to help paint and decorate the new learning space.

Pupils started using the multi-purpose learning area in March, and space is already ‘having a positive impact’ on the children’s learning experiences, Mrs Ellerton said.

The space has been funded through PTA fundraising from events and ‘generous donations’ from various contributors including the Waltham St Lawrence Charities.

A ‘considerable donation’ was also provided by the David Brownlow Charitable Foundation as part of the project.

During the ceremony, Mrs Ellerton expressed thanks to everyone involved in the project, a number of whom took centre stage to give short speeches.

Royal Borough mayor Cllr Mandy Brar said it was a ‘real honour’ to attend the ceremony and thanked those involved in making the new learning space a reality.

During the ceremony, pupils, including members of the school council shared their thoughts on the space.

Cllr Brar was joined by pupils as he cut a red ribbon to officially declare the new space open.

The school’s headteacher told the Advertiser: “We are ever so proud of our team effort.

“The space is just so calm. That’s why when we decorated the room, we really thought about not overloading, and really just providing a calm and peaceful environment for children to relax and stay focused.”

Mrs Ellerton added she is ‘very, very proud’ of the new space and it will make a ‘huge difference’.

“Overall, this has enhanced our school learning provision and children will hopefully thrive in such a wonderful environment.”

The school’s next project is to improve the early years outdoor space.