The team behind The Island Free School has today (Tuesday) announced that they have secured a temporary site for the School – the old St Boniface Primary School, on St Boniface Road in Ventnor.
Year 7 students will start at the Ventnor site in September 2014 and remain there for a year while a new state of the art school is constructed at a nearby location, to be confirmed in the near future.
Headmaster Steph Boyd commented:
“We are delighted to have secured this beautiful old building as our temporary home. We will soon be meeting with our Education Funding Agency Project Director, and our Centrprise (ICT) Project Manager, to plan the site development to ensure it meets the needs of our high quality secondary school.”
Mr Boyd added:
“Our temporary site will have all of the first class facilities that will be available on the permanent site. This will include access to the innovative ICT resources laid out in our ICT bid, fully functional Science, Design Technology and Art suites and, of course, world class Music facilities. All facilities that have been installed will then be moved onto the permanent site during the summer break in 2015.”
The school is nestled beneath St Boniface Down, the highest point on the Island and an area of outstanding natural beauty. Backed by National Trust land, it is an idyllic setting, with its own astroturf facility, sports field and nature area. The building itself was built in the characterful local stone in 1905, with modern additions including a large hall that can be used for assemblies, lunchtimes and school plays.
After National Offer Day on Monday 3 March 2014, The Island Free School will host a parent, pupils and staff get together where they will discuss how the site will be developed to meet the school’s needs, as well as asking for views on the options for term dates, and a talk through the curriculum plans.
Mr Boyd continued:
“We will post details of the event on this website and all parents, students and members of the local community will be very welcome.
“This is a very exciting time for the school and we look forward to sharing updates with you over the coming months.”
