A new primary school in Wokingham will be called St Cecilia’s Church of England Primary School. The 210 place school at Matthewsgreen, which will be open to all pupils, has been named after the patron saint of music and musicians by The Keys Academy Trust, which will the run the school when it opens.
Construction of the school off Queens Road (the northern distributor road which will connect London Road to Reading Road) will continue over the summer, with the final few modules for the build being dropped into place soon.
Most of the construction work is taking place off site by modular specialists Reds10, with the main school buildings being built modularly to reduce carbon emissions relating to the project. The latest set of modules were dropped into place in recent weeks.
The patron saint of music and musicians
Hester Wooller, chief executive at The Keys Academy Trust, said: “It was decided that our new school at Matthewsgreen should be named after one of the female saints.
"The trust considers all of the creative arts as important ways for children to express themselves, which is reflected in the choice of St Cecilia who is the patron saint of music and musicians.
“As a trust our high performing schools nurture academic habits and skills, personal development and creativity across the whole range of subject disciplines and have a broad offer of sporting activities to promote health and well-being.”
Cllr Graham Howe, executive member for children’s services, said: “St Cecilia’s is a fantastic name for the school, with a great story behind it. The Keys Academy Trust has a track record of running high performing schools in our area and I am sure this will be no exception. I’m looking forward to seeing it open and serving our community.”
Infrastructure the borough needs
This new school and community facility is part of the North Wokingham major new community, where approximately 2,000 new homes will be built, with supporting infrastructure, including this school.
Building essential facilities alongside housing is part of the council’s long-term plans to accommodate housing in ways that allow people to walk and cycle for everyday activities, improving health due to the active travel options available and helping the borough on its journey to be carbon neutral by 2030.
Infrastructure being delivered includes schools, roads, shops, play areas, nature parks and sporting and community facilities.
Subject to demand the school is set to open in September 2022. The project includes a 600 sqm new community centre on the same site, served by a separate entrance. More information on when this will open and who will run it will be announced in due course.
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