New Wing Officially Opened at St Cecilia's
Parents and carers urged to start application process for September 2022
Headteacher Renata Joseph, Ana Popovici (Director of Children’s Services, Wandsworth Council), Cllr Ravi Govindia and The Venerable John Kiddle, Archdeacon of Wandsworth
On Wednesday 29 September, Saint Cecilia’s Church of England School in Southfields held a dedication service to mark the official opening of its new wing.
The building, which was completed the previous month, provides a state-of-the-art new teaching block, housing a much-needed science laboratory and extra classrooms for the growing school. From September 2021, Saint Cecilia’s has been able to increase its intake by one extra class of 30 each year. Eventually, a total of 210 additional local pupils across all age groups will be able to join..
The school welcomed representatives from Wandsworth Council, Governors, Ward Councillors and other local dignitaries connected to the Saint Cecilia’s community. Ex alumni and current teaching staff were also amongst the guests.
After an introduction by Headteacher, Renata Joseph, the school Chaplain, Alex Shoderu, opened the ceremony with a heartening welcome prayer. This was followed by speeches from Cllr Ravi Govindia, Leader of the Council, readings from two pupils at Saint Cecilia’s and the dedication and blessing was led by The Venerable John Kibble, Archdeacon of Wandsworth. James Ewins QC, Chair of Governors, brought the ceremony to a close with a speech highlighting the low carbon measures included in the construction and thanking the work funded through Wandsworth Council. He closed the ceremony by thanking the excellent work of the school’s dedicated staff, without which the wonderful new facilities would be worthless.
Alex Shoderu, School Chaplain speaking at the unveiling
Speaking at the formal opening, Cllr Govindia said, “It is a great pleasure to be here with you today to celebrate the formal opening of this excellent new teaching space, built to the latest environmental standards, guaranteeing lower carbon emissions, which will allow the school to expand its intake by 210 pupils and accommodate more sixth form students. It is wonderful to see successful and high achieving schools like Saint Cecilia’s offering a top-quality education to its pupils and now expanding to meet parental demand. We are proud to offer parents some of the best schools in London and our partnership and support for successful schools like Saint Cecilia’s will help us build on those successes long into the future.”
Headteacher Renata Joseph said, “This marks an exciting milestone for the school. This year we turned 18 years old and I feel we have very much come of age with the introduction of these outstanding additional facilities and much improved outside space. Up until June last year, this very spot was where our temporary classrooms stood, and it has now been turned into courtyard space that can be enjoyed by all pupils and students. On behalf of the whole Saint Cecilia’s family, I would like to personally thank Wandsworth Borough Council for including us in their ambitious schools’ expansion plan. We are an oversubscribed and very popular school. Parents want their children to join us for our strong academic track record, nurturing pastoral support and the abundance of opportunity we offer.”
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October 8, 2021