CHILDREN, teachers and parents are celebrating the start of the renovation to part of their school made possible by £80,000 worth of fund-raising.
Over the last few years Dame Catherine Harpur’s School has raised thousands of pounds worth of cash to revamp the Old School House part of the building.
This means the school will now have a new reception, toilets, kitchen and meeting room, with better facilities for both the children and staff.
The school, in Rose Lane, Ticknall was opened by Dame Catherine Harpur of the Calke Estate in 1744 and has since undergone many changes.
Closed by the local authority in 1987, it was immediately re-opened by parents, under the auspices of the ancient trust, continuing the traditions of the village school.
Now it is time to extend and modernise the 1840′s school building and school house to meet the needs of the school, and make it more sustainable for the 21st century continuing the original idea of Dame Catherine Harpur to support and educate the village children.
It is now a thriving independent village school with children from areas including Melbourne, Ashby, Weston on Trent, and Ticknall, with fees being kept low through local fund-raising.
Sarah Roulstone, a parent at the school, said: “This is fantastic news for the school.
“It is a great school to have in my village for my children. The class sizes are small, and the school really encourages all children to reach their potential, and now the new facilities will only make it even better.”
The school would like to thank everyone in the village, parents, ex-parents, friends and the Trust of DCHS for making this possible.
If anyone is interested in finding out more about the school the next open day is on April 20, from 10am to 1pm, and the official opening of the new school building is on July 20.
The school is now busy trying to raise £3,500 for the fence and gate with the help of local craftsman David Tucker.
It will surround the school and be enjoyed by all in Ticknall village, and the many local visitors to the area.
