Kemi Badenoch, MP for North West Essex, visited Great Waltham Church of England Primary School to officially open the school’s brand-new classroom facilities ahead of the new academic year.
The project, funded by Essex County Council, has provided a newly built classroom alongside the remodelling of an existing space. This expansion will increase the school’s capacity from 164 to 210 pupils and allow for a single class per year group, ending the need for mixed-age classes.
The new “South America” classroom will be in use from this month, with a new teacher joining the school to accommodate the growing intake. The improvements are expected to support staff and pupils in the school and will benefit families across Great Waltham and surrounding villages.
Mrs Badenoch joined Headteacher Justine Brooks, Cllr Tony Ball (Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Education), and Cllr Mike Steel (Chelmsford City Councillor for Broomfield & Walthams) to cut the ribbon on the new classroom before meeting pupils and staff.
Commenting, Mrs Badenoch said:
“It was a real pleasure to open the new classroom at Great Waltham Primary School and to meet the staff and pupils who will benefit from it.
“This investment means more children can access a place at their local village school and learn in full-sized classrooms.
“Great Waltham is a much-loved school at the heart of our community, and this project will make a real difference to pupils and families for years to come.”
Commenting, Cllr Mike Steel said:
“All three of my children went to Great Waltham Primary School and it has an excellent reputation. The building work will enable the school to move from 6 year classes to 7 classes of 30 pupils each. There is now a class for each of the 7 years a child spends at the school and removes the need for mixed age classes.”
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