Children’s Commissioner for England Visits King Edward VII Academy’s Newly Refurbished Facilities

On Friday 14th October, Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, visited King Edward VII Academy to meet with its students, staff, and Principal - Sarah Hartshorn, taking the opportunity to explore the brand-new renovations to the KES Academy’s Grade II listed building following a £3.3m investment from Inspiration Trust since its amalgamation in September 2022.

The day began with a tour of the newly renovated spaces, starting with the Main Hall which has had extensive work to its parquet flooring, restoring it to its former glory filled with history and grandeur. Next, the refurbished science laboratories which, although a charming nod to the school’s heritage, were no longer fit for purpose having not seen redecoration in 100 years.

The tour then took them to KES Academy’s brand-new drama and music studios which have been completely transformed with impressive facilities including full soundproofing, music decks and a performance space too. These new facilities promise to enable KES Academy’s first-class curriculum to be truly accelerated into the 21st Century.

Finally, Dame Rachel got to see the beautiful new library which boasts high ceilings, comfortable seating areas for reading and peaceful spaces for quiet study. Situated in the heart of the school, the space allows its students to harness the pleasure of reading. Students have taken full advantage of these facilities, being the ideal spot for playing chess and catching up on their Sparx maths homework. The library has been named the Lennensian Library after the former students and teachers that continue to support the school as part of The Old Lennensians Association, and of whom kindly gifted £5000 for new books.

On her walk round of the school, Dame Rachel said:

“I’m astonished at the transformation of the learning spaces at King Edward VII Academy. The work has been completed to the highest standard, and the students and staff talk about their school with such pride. It has been a pleasure to visit and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for KES Academy!”

A group of fifteen KES Academy students then spoke to Dame Rachel de Souza about their studies and hopes for their future, as well as the findings of her office’s independent Family Review. The students had just completed her office’s Big Summer Survey, which is a unique opportunity for all students in England aged 7-17 to share how they spent their summer holiday, who they spent it with and who they would go to for support.

Head student, Alice Biran (Year 13) said:

“[The new refurbishments] make me very proud and we all do deserve it. I think it will help the school moving forward.”

Oliver Gayton (Year 8) said: 

“It was great to speak to Dame Rachel de Souza. We’re proud of our school, particularly now that the refurbishment is finished, so I’m happy to talk about how much we love it.”

Principal of King Edward VII Academy, Sarah Hartshorn said:

"We are so delighted to welcome the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, to our school. It has been a pleasure giving her a tour of our newly renovated buildings. I know how important it is to her that all students get the best opportunities at school; I was proud to show her our new facilities that will further enhance the curriculum at King Edward VII Academy. The highlight of the day was listening to our students talking to her about their families and what family means to them. They were honoured to know that their voices were truly heard and would be used to inform future government policy."