Step inside Warwickshire’s newly rebuilt ‘amazing’ senior school

All classrooms have top-of-the range interactive, user-friendly whiteboards to aid learning.

Year 11 pupil Pola Pawluc, who’s studying for her GCSEs, said: “It’s easy to learn in this school and I like that I can get to lessons quicker – in the old school it was harder to get around.”

Head boy and sixth former Joe Collins agrees moving around between lessons is a lot easier now.

“There aren’t as many bottlenecks, so moving from lesson to lesson is a lot smoother,” he said.

Year 7 student Lys Turner, who’s still getting used to secondary school, finds it easy to navigate because “the new school buildings are a giant rectangle”.

Kineton High School was chosen in 2021 as one of the first 50 schools in England to be given funding under the government’s School Rebuilding Programme.

The three-year, £20m rebuild kicked off in 2021 when planning applications were submitted, with construction starting in 2022.

The project’s not due for final completion until summer 2025 but when the Herald was invited in for a sneak preview on Tuesday, it was obvious the mood among staff and students is one of excitement and optimism about the huge opportunities the revamp will bring.

Headteacher Helen Bridge explained: “Our old building was rambling but spread out, while this is purpose-built.

“We felt very proud of the old school and despite it falling down around our ears, people said it was very clean and welcoming.

“Now, our challenge is to keep that friendliness in what is a very new building.”

Display boards and signs are still to go up in many areas of the new buildings, so the race is on to complete these finishing touches in time for an open evening on 3rd October when parents will have a proper chance to admire the transformation.

The rebuild isn’t only about practical and beautiful new spaces, it’s also future-proofed by being designed to achieve net zero carbon in operation.

Assistant headteacher John Larner pointed out: “The old school had a lot of heart and soul but was very cramped, tired and leaky – the classrooms were very hot or very cold depending on what the temperature was outside. We don’t get those temperature fluctuations anymore because the new rooms are bright and airy and the views from some of the classrooms are outstanding – we know we’re privileged to be at a setting like this and to have so much space.

“We have this beautiful infrastructure and now we have to make sure the culture from the previous school is embedded into the DNA of this new one.”

He added that he has seen better behaviour in classrooms since the move.

“As standards have risen in the building, students have also risen to match those higher expectations,” he said.

Walking around and chatting to pupils it’s clear that this isn’t enforced in a top-down way.

Students play a major role in demonstrating and achieving a respectful culture.

Joe explained: “I’ve seen Year 12s and 13s calling out poor behaviour around the school, so they might say ‘OK, quiet now’, if someone’s talking too loudly when they shouldn’t be, and that filters down.”

The new sixth-form suite, which includes a study area and common room, has capacity for 200, compared to just 100 in the old building.

“I like the sixth-form area – it’s really nice because it feels quite separate to the rest of the school,” Joe added.

Ms Bridge said: “I feel very passionate about sixth-form, as they act as role models and work with younger pupils by helping them with their reading in the learning centre and in many other ways.”

Year 11 Sam Sparkes pointed out: “They become the big brothers and sisters of the school.”

And Joe added: “That dynamic of giving back to the community and helping younger ones is definitely encouraged here.”

Pola, whose favourite subjects are maths and art, has noticed a change as she’s moved further up through the school.

“Most students in my year understand how important GCSEs are, so there’s less messing about now,” she said.

“The teachers provide us with a lot of support including things like how to study and revise.”

Although academic achievement is high on the list, there’s also strong emphasis on extracurricular activities to broaden horizons, with students able to choose from a myriad of lunch-time and after-school clubs ranging from netball, football and darts to music, choir, drama, reading and chess.

The school has 1,070 students in total, with capacity for 1,100.

Years 7-11 are already over-subscribed, largely due to Kineton High’s good reputation and impressive exam results – in August the Herald reported how GCSE results at the school saw record numbers of top grades.

A-level students excelled too, with nearly half of all grades A*-B and an overall pass rate of 98 per cent.

Mr Larner, who’s often found patrolling the corridors and making sure everything’s running smoothly, paid tribute to the hard work and Herculean efforts of staff who’ve put in so many extra hours to prepare the new rooms ready for pupils.

“At one point we had 15-20 staff in the library trying to get it ready to open,” he said.

Head of art Claudine Purnell recalled how she and the art team unpacked more than 200 boxes.

They’ve used every available inch of space to display students’ work and it’s a colourful studio now.

She said: “It’s a very modern building with plenty of natural light – a good creative space and we have sinks that work, which we didn’t always have in the old building.”

This room looks out onto the old school buildings but not for long, as these will be taken away and replaced with green, landscaped gardens and a bigger car park.

The DT department, which includes food technology, has gone from having three or four sinks to 14 and now boasts 12 sleek workstations with hobs, ovens and food prep space plus many storage cupboards.

“Compared to what we had before, it’s unbelievable,” head of DT Vicki Jordan said.

The library and learning resources area can be glimpsed from reception and walking into it, a visitor is not disappointed.

The triple-height space has a mezzanine that houses the smaller study area exclusively for sixth-formers, allowing separate space for older students that’s still connected to the main area.

Librarian Alison Bond pointed out: “The library is a beautiful study area for the whole school, from Year 7 to 13.

“Having this open and well-designed space right at the heart of the school is wonderful.”

The library is Lys Turner’s favourite spot: “There are so many books and the chairs are very comfy,” she said.

The gym and sports hall is popular not only with Kineton High pupils but also the local community and that’s a big part of this multi-million pound overhaul – welcoming in local residents so that they can use the facilities outside school hours.

The school, which excels in sport, has brand new equipment including nine spin bikes in the new fitness suite, table tennis table, a top quality triple jump sand pit and a huge new sports hall can be easily divided into two areas to allow more flexibility.

Performing arts and drama are also an important part of the school’s offer and the newly-built sound-proofed drama studio is kitted out with professional quality lights capable of a staggering 5,000 combinations, sound mixing deck and stage curtains.

There’s a buzz of piano notes and activity in the new and well-equipped music room where Beth Reeder, head of music, helps nurture talent.

She said: “Our new music room feels a lot more modern, clean, fresh and in much better condition.

“It’s also a lot bigger and we also have three dedicated practice rooms.”

Students and staff need plenty of food to fuel brains and energy so the new canteen is a huge space where the whole school can come together and feast on mid-morning snacks or lunches made on the premises by cook Wendy Wragg, baker Su Mee and the rest of the busy catering team.

Another reason to keep smiling.