Test-tube baby pioneer opens table-topping Academy’s £15 million new building.
Professor Robert Winston will officially open the new £15 million Nene Park Academy building on Thursday February 27. This comes days after Nene Park Academy pupils are shown in the government’s league tables to make more value added progress in year 11 than at any school in Peterborough.
Professor Lord Winston, whose work includes preeminent research and development in IVF and BBC TV science programmes Child of Our Time and Superhuman, will cut the ribbon and unveil a plaque to mark the official opening.
After learning that one of the Academy’s Houses had been named after him by students in recognition of his contribution to science and education, he was particularly delighted to be asked to perform the duty.
Professor Lord Winston will tour the Academy with Principal, Steve Howard, to see the students learning in the Academy’s first-class science facilities. He will also deliver a special lecture to students, staff and VIP guests in the new hall charting his incredible journey of discovery through medical science and in the worlds of the media and politics.
Steve Howard said: “We are very privileged to welcome Professor Lord Robert Winston to open our new academy building.
“We have worked incredibly hard to provide our students with the best opportunities to succeed. Our wonderful building and facilities were designed to promote our culture that enables students to learn and strive to exceed their potential.
“The academy has been on an impressive journey. We’ve received high praise from Ofsted and the new league tables show that ourstudents’ value added progress in year 11 is the highest in Peterborough and second highest in the whole of Cambridgeshire.We are very proud of that.
“Our official opening represents a significant milestone for the Academy. We’re now firmly settled into our new home and feelextremely positive about what the future has to offer.”
Professor Robert Winston said: “Nene Park Academy’s students are extremely privileged to be learning in a school that places such emphasis on science. I hope that these new, specialist facilities can be used to inspire students through imaginative, practical experiments.”
The new £15 million building, which opened to students in September 2013 and was funded by Peterborough City Council,boasts a state-of-the-art educational environment. This includes purpose-built science laboratories, which will enhance teaching and learning of theacademy’s specialist-subject, fully-equipped TV and radio studios and an attractive, parkland frontage which includes a grass amphitheatre.
The academy’s new IT infrastructure has also been dubbed ‘next generation’ by Microsoft bringing business-level technology into classrooms for the first time.
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