First day of school for Cheltenham's All Saints Academy

PARENTS and siblings accompanied hundreds of new pupils as they got a glimpse inside Cheltenham's All Saints' Academy yesterday.

The institution, which cost £24.6m and has taken pupils from Christ College and Kingsmead School, has a distinctive curved frontage and students were surprised at the size of the new building.

launch: Above, front l-r, pupils Kayleigh Collins, Harry Jones, Bex Keyte and Abi Orchard; back l-r Amy Farr, Molly Taylor, Emilie Atkins, Chloe Betteridge, Flo Hooper and Ollia Zakharova
first class: L-r, form tutor Sarah Clarke, Charlotte Andrews, 11, and Harry Sheppard, 11, in their new form room

Harry Sheppard, 11, who is joining the faith school from Rowanfield Junior School, said: "It's 10 times bigger than my last school. I'm very excited to be starting here."

Gabriela Krakowik, 11, who left Arthur Dye Primary School last year, added: "We are really lucky. It's a really big building – I'm a bit worried I might get lost at first."

Staff and pupils are spending the remainder of the week getting settled in the new building before term officially starts on Monday.

Many of the new sixth formers starting at the school have joined from other schools in the town.

Both Charis Winder and Phoenix-Rose Maitland-Roberts went to Winchcombe School.

Phoenix-Rose, 16, who is studying maths, physics, law and psychology, said: "It looks very professional and I am very excited to be here. It's nice and new and there is more choice than other sixth forms."

Daniel Matthews, 17, who is studying AS levels in law, English, history and psychology, added: "I am shocked at how big it is and excited to be starting my sixth-form education here."

The school was funded jointly by Gloucestershire County Council and sponsors the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester and the Roman Catholic Clifton Diocese. It can cater for 250 pupils in its sixth form and 900 in the lower school.

Principal Peter Kingham has previously said he believes the school has the potential to produce future world leaders, but for now he is just happy everything is unpacked and in place. He said: "I don't know how many cardboard boxes we have unpacked as we have had to move the contents of two schools. It's been a combination of nerves and excitement in the past few weeks but now we have got things running it seems a bit more real. It will be business as usual come Monday."

by tagpole

Friday, September 09 2011, 2:25PM

“whilst i agree that the school is smart and new, i must say they didn't think about the uniform and the sizes of our children now a days. The uniform was made to a standard size so if like me you are a parent of a tall child of maybe a big child the uniform doesn't fit at all. The jackets were either too small or too big and the sleeves were either to short or too long. This shows in the picture. The same is to be said of the pe tops if your child is tall the tops are to short and show the belly, When i questioned the people who made them all i got was that they were made to a standard size and they weren't that help full at all. Why couldn't they have had somewhere like the famous make them at least then you could get it alltered and made to fit.”

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