For more information about Lime Wood Primary School, you can visit their website www.limewoodprimaryschool.co.uk
Lime Wood Primary School Celebrates Grand Opening
Celebrations have taken place for the opening of Lime Wood Primary, a brand new school in Erith. The momentous occasion marked a significant milestone for all those involved in the development of the school and with its doors now open, the school is excited to show its commitment to providing high-quality education and fostering a nurturing environment for young minds to thrive.
Lime Wood Primary officially opened in September welcoming a cohort of Reception children and will continue to grow year by year, eventually into a three-form entry school catering for children aged 5-11. It is the newest addition to the Woodland Academy Trust, which caters for children across Bexley and Kent. With the school’s vision to deliver a curriculum that is provided by good teachers underpinned by an effective blueprint for excellence in culture, behaviour, attainment and wellbeing – to find the champion in everyone, Lime Wood embraces innovation, inclusivity and excellence in education.
The new school with its impressive structure and facilities has been built on the site of the former quarry at Erith, alongside a masterplan of more than 800 new homes as part of a development being delivered by The Anderson Group and L&Q. The Woodland Academy Trust have worked alongside the partners in bringing the school to life, and so the opening of Lime Wood is a special moment for all involved.
CEO of Woodland Academy Trust Nav Sanghara said “We are delighted to have so many of the people involved in the journey of Lime Wood join us to celebrate the school’s opening. It has been a real team effort to get from planning on paper to this amazing, finished school building and we look forward to growing a school that the whole community can be proud of.”
Vicky Savage, Group Director, Development and Sales, comments: “The opening of Lime Wood Primary School at The Quarry marks a momentous occasion for the development – delivering a state-of-the-art facility not only for residents here, but for the wider community in Erith.
“Building and supporting thriving and sustainable communities is one of our main goals, and bringing forward key facilities such as Lime Wood Primary and the many essential homes at The Quarry is instrumental to this. The Quarry is a partnership we are immensely proud to be part of, and we look forward to continuing to work together to deliver this flagship development.”
“Building and supporting thriving and sustainable communities is one of our main goals, and bringing forward key facilities such as Lime Wood Primary and the many essential homes at The Quarry is instrumental to this. The Quarry is a partnership we are immensely proud to be part of, and we look forward to continuing to work together to deliver this flagship development.”
The grand opening ceremony marked the exciting milestone with Councillor Baroness O’Neill OBE attending to officially reveal a commemorative plaque, along with some of the school’s founding reception pupils and members from the Woodland Academy Trust, plus developers Anderson and L&Q. Guests heard from the school’s Headteacher Claire Ingrams and the Trust’s CEO Nav Sanghara, and were able to have a tour the school’s unique building and impressive state of the art facilities.
The occasion also celebrated the unveiling of a grand sculpture in the school’s atrium named ‘We Wrap Our Fish With Love’, by local artist Gary Drostle, who crafted the iconic De Luci Fish mosaic sculpture located on an Erith roundabout nearby. Sponsored by Anderson and L&Q, Drostle worked with the school to create a baby replica of his iconic sculpture, with a little help from pupils who collected fabrics with meaning or memories from their families to be wrapped around sculpture. Fabrics include a father’s service shirt, Nepali prayer flags, children’s baby grow and baby sock, Hungarian flag, Estonian embroidery, Sari and Chinese silk and much more.
Headteacher Claire Ingrams said ‘It’s a special memory for our children and families as the founding members of our Lime Wood community. It will truly take pride of place in our school alongside the creations the children have been working on in school using the same pieces of fabric.’
The opening of Lime Wood has been long awaited, with parents, many of whom live on the development and have closely followed the school’s progress, are delighted to see its doors open at last and to have the chance for their children to become part of the school community.
Mr Yusuff, whose child attends the school said “I am really excited to have Lime Wood Primary finally open after waiting for 3 years. The structure and design is really amazing and my daughter is always looking forward to going every day and speaks fondly of her teachers. I have seen a lot of improvement in her since she started, and the school does a lot to engage the parents. Having a local school within The Quarry has helped foster sense of unity and togetherness.”
Headteacher Claire Ingrams said, “We are thrilled to celebrate the opening of Lime Wood Primary. The opening was a proud day for everyone at the school and the Trust and we thank our guests for joining us to mark the special occasion. We look forward to becoming an integral part of The Quarry and Erith community as we deliver our vision to find the champion in everyone’.