
The King’s School in Macclesfield has opened its new £60 million campus, which will open to students in September.
The school, originally founded in 1502, moves to new eco-friendly site between Prestbury and Over Alderley, after construction completed just six weeks ago due to teams from Vinci needing to work within Covid-19 protocols. Facilities include a music recital hall, a conference hall for 900 people, a lecture theatre, large drama and performance hall, art gallery and science gardens. A Sports Centre also includes six-lane pool, indoor cricket centre and dance and martial arts studio.
The campus’ new rural setting has given the King’s School the opportunity to develop outdoor learning areas. The campus also features bee hives, orchards, bat boxes, ponds and woodland to add to students’ experience.
Planning for the site began in 2012, and the school’s former sites in Macclesfield have received planning permission to be redeveloped for housing and retirement living schemes.
Ahead of the start of the new term and faced with the challenges of educating with new pandemic guidelines in place, Head of Foundation at the King’s School, Jason Slack said:
A major advantage of the new school is, quite simply, the immense amount of space we have inside and outside the building which will enable us to meet the new guidelines.
“It has been an incredibly busy summer for staff with the move as well as getting ready for opening in a Covid-safe way in September, but the prize of the stunning new campus, set in glorious Cheshire countryside and with enviable facilities, makes all the hard work worth it. And in some ways, the opening will be even more special because of the difficult year. More than ever, the excitement of coming together as a single community will feel really special.
“Opening the doors on 3rd September will have a greater significance for our 1,200 pupils and 300 staff than any of us could ever have imagined.”