Calls for improvements to be made to Matravers School’s buildings are increasing, as the pressure of a growing population in the town continues to cause concern.
Following a recent visit to Matravers School, Westbury MP Dr. Andrew Murrison commented on how the school’s buildings are in desperate need of an upgrade and has called for a ‘complete rebuild’.
“It was a pleasure to visit Matravers School again,” he said. “It’s done well in recent times but the fabric of the building is dreadful and has reached a stage where it’s become deeply demoralising for students and staff. Westbury deserves better. The ambition now must be nothing short of a complete rebuild.”
In 2014, the school received a significant investment by Wiltshire Council which funded a number of projects and an upgrade of school buildings, but with a number of housing estates in various stages of planning across the town, fears of whether the school can cope with a growing population are increasing.
Headteacher, Dr Simon Riding said the school would be ‘delighted’ if further investment was made available and that Westbury had been ‘under-invested’.
He told White Horse News, “Matravers School delivers high quality education every day. Westbury has been under-invested in over the years. Our significantly growing school population will reach capacity very quickly.
“At Matravers we do not make any excuses. We believe that buildings alone do not pass exams; it is what happens inside them through the superb interactions between amazing teachers and fantastic students, every day, that makes the difference. Parental support has been crucial along the way. This is the simple reason why our results have improved so rapidly over the last three years.
“However, our community does deserve the type of wider facilities and quality of buildings that are routinely available to other schools; the children and young people of Westbury deserve this to enhance their lives, educational experience and meet their high aspirations.
“We are delighted to be part of the Priority School Building Programme 2 which will replace our maths, science and design technology building. This will provide world-class state-of-the-art facilities in these areas.
“This summer we have again secured around £250,000 of investment into the school to upgrade and refurbish many areas including: history; the learning resources centre; the sixth form centre; business and ICT; special educational needs; and our food court areas.
“We would be delighted to welcome further investment in the school if it was available to enable us to achieve our aims for world-class provision in Westbury. Our many parental tours already recognise our calm and purposeful learning environment.”
Mayor of Westbury, cllr Stephen Andrews said, “I would agree that there should be more investment in Matravers School. It has grown rather haphazardly over the years without a coherent plan. It is obvious that the increase in growth in the town, caused by the large number of houses that have been approved recently, will put even greater pressure on infrastructure generally and all the local schools particularly.”
