As students return to begin a fresh new term in September, the gates closed on our Lower School site for the final time as demolition work began on Wednesday 1st September.

The exit from the Lower School has involved a huge amount of effort, lifting, carrying and many car journeys as 39 classrooms and labs, 19 office areas

, 3 ICT suites and the entire IT infrastructure were decommissioned and moved to our Queen Edith’s Way site from 22nd July to 3rd August. After this time the building was taken over by contractors who cleared remaining furniture and prepared the site for demolition.

Below are a selection of photos of the Lower School in its final days:

Room 47 / W26 from 2003. The year we retired our BBC room (ran by Mr Gillinder).

Main Entrance & West Hall

East Wing playground. This used to serve year 9 as senior members of the Lower School before being used as a year 7 playground to get them used to secondary school. The large centre block is a lift shaft that was added in 2003.

The East Wing with Year 7 (old year 9) bike sheds.

Food technology room E3, formerly room 15 and “bungalow”. Latin and Drama mobile classrooms used to stand in front of this during the 1990s.

Students making a final site crossing.

Miss Dixon moving out her Maths room in to the golf buggy!

Mrs Greeve taking a final lesson in W33, formerly French room 36.

Mrs Greeve’s class

Miss Conry with her Art class in W23, formerly room 53 at the very front of the school. Remember Mr Munro?

Sewing dummies in W21, formerly technology room 51 ready to move!

Art & Technology corridor leading towards reception.

West corridor looking towards year offices.

Lower School gymnasium.

West hall. This space was used for assemblies. No school productions have taken place here since 2002.

Main entrance. West hall is on the right hand side. The open plan dining hall of the 90s had been made self contained with the addition of the wall on the left of the photo.

East hall in one of its many reincarnations. In the mid 1990s it was converted from a hall in to the school library. In the early 2000s it was converted in to the Lower School staff room.

East corridor outside the staff room / old East Hall.

ICT Room E6, formerly room 1. This room ran Acorn computers from the 1990s right up to 2005 when they were finally replaced with Apple eMac computers. Desking has been dismantled ready for transportation.

Lab 13, formerly room 3. Remember Mrs Frost?

Lab 12, formerly room 2. Remember Mr Williams?

Food Technology room E3, formerly room 15. Remember Mrs Duncan?

Food Technology room E2, formerly room 14. Remember Mrs Newby?

West Wing block

Textiles room E1, formerly room 13. Remember Mrs Jones?

East Wing stairwell.

West Wing.West Wing stairwell from the “up and over”

Mrs Bird in the Lower School office. This is where learning support room 50 used to stand in the early 1990s.

School gates.

West playground, home to years 8 and 9. The large block in the centre is a lift shaft installed in 2003.

West playground.

West playground. Remember Mr Allen?

West playground.

East wing.

Lab 14, old room 4 all stripped out. Remember Mrs Herbert?Lab 11, formerly the lower school library in the 1990s.

The latest Lower School library. This was on the top floor where the staff room and “up and over” used to be. The wall between the two was removed in the early 2000s.

Maths room W40, formerly room 40 with it’s “lovely” carpet! Remember Mrs Wreckless?

The start of the demolition works. Room W22 and W23 (52 and 52) have been flattened. You can see a wall of the PE changing rooms on the right hand side, and the rear of room W21 (51) on the left with the technology corridor beside the yellow container.