The Bishop of Taunton, the Rt Reverend Peter Maurice, officially opened Highbridge’s Churchfield School this week.
The school in Burnham Road first opened in 2010, bringing St John’s Junior School and Beechfield Infants School together as one.
Somerset County Council secured £6.5 million pounds through a national Primary Schools Capital Grant to fund the project.
The school now caters for children aged three to eleven and gained academy status, sponsored by the Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust, at the start of April.
The development was delivered in stages to allow the school to remain open while the building work was going on.
It now boasts 14 classrooms, two halls, a kitchen, wireless technology, hard and soft play areas and a multi-use games area.
To mark the opening, Bishop Peter led a special assembly of songs and prayer. He also presented the school with a plaque to mark the formal dedication of the new school building.
Theresa Gale, Director of the Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust, said: “We are delighted that Rt Revd Peter Maurice was able to open this beautiful building which creates such a wonderful learning environment for the children of Highbridge.”
“Being part of the Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust marks a fresh start for the school, with renewed energy and a commitment to sustained educational improvement for every child.”
“We look forward to working closely with the school, children and their families to fulfil the full potential of each child.”
Headteacher Wendy Nelder told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “What a lot of new! New building, new furniture, new values and a new school name which reflects that Churchfield Church School is a new academy sponsored by the Bath & Wells Multi Academy Trust. The children and staff greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to say thank you to Somerset County Council for providing them with a beautiful new building.”
And Cllr John Osman, leader of Somerset County Council, added: “I am delighted that £6.5 million has been invested in new school buildings for the young people of Highbridge. We are committed to working in partnership with our schools to provide the best facilities for children which we hope will inspire them and lead to good results in the future.”
The new school was designed and project managed by Southwest One and built by local company Vinci Construction Ltd.
The first phase of the development in 2010 saw the installation of nine temporary classrooms on the site of St John’s Junior School.
This was followed by the demolition of the infant’s school. Construction of the new school started in July 2011 and the finished building was handed over in August 2012.
The final stage of the project was the removal of the temporary classrooms and the demolition of the old St John’s building.
