Crown Street Primary School, the first new primary school to be built in the city centre in almost 20 years, officially opens today. Built by leading Manchester property developer Renaker, the school is located between Crown Street and The Blade at Renaker’s New Jackson neighbourhood, a world-class skyscraper district at the city’s southern gateway.
The school is an inclusive, non-selective, non-denominational one-form entry school. Earlier this month it opened its doors to its first cohort of pupils, with a 24-place Pre-School class and a 30-place Reception class. Able to accommodate 210 children and 26 nursery places, the school will also provide an on-site day care setting for children below the age of three. Over the coming years the school will expand in size with an annual September intake, while current pupils will move through the school until it has pupils in each year group.
The Laurus Trust, a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) providing exceptional academic education to its family of schools across Stockport, Manchester, Tameside and Cheshire East, has been appointed by Manchester City Council in agreement with the Department of Education (DfE) to run the school. The senior leadership team comprises Head of School Helenya Thomson and Director of Primary (Laurus Trust), Lisa Wooley.
With a design that mirrors schools found in London and New York, the four storey ‘vertical school’ is constructed from a buff brick with bronze coloured window framing and features a rooftop play deck to the third floor, a first in Manchester since the early 1900’s. The Nursery and Reception classrooms have direct access to external play areas, allowing continuous access between indoor and outdoor spaces for pupils. Support facilities include resource, therapy and library facilities, plus a dedicated food/science/design and technology area.
Crown Street Primary school forms an important part of the wider regeneration taking place at New Jackson and will support the demand for school places for families living in and around the New Jackson neighbourhood and surrounding areas. Already transforming the Manchester city centre skyline, this new neighbourhood will comprise over 6,400 high quality new homes and includes a smoke-free city centre park with a children’s play area, an NHS medical centre, a dental studio, a hair salon, a cookery school, padel courts, a public car park and a variety of independent restaurants, bars, and shops.
Daren Whitaker, Chairman at Renaker, said:
“We are thrilled to see the first pupils walk through the doors at Crown Street Primary School and proud to be able to deliver much needed infrastructure for residents at New Jackson and the wider local community. The school represents a major milestone in our vision to create a thriving, family friendly urban neighbourhood and will provide high-quality education for generations to come.”
Councillor Julie Reid, Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People, Manchester City Council, said:
“The opening of Crown Street Primary in the heart of Manchester is brilliant news for our rapidly growing number of city centre residents and is going to make a real difference to young families living in the area, giving them more options about next steps when their children reach school age. It’s a fantastic building – completely unique in its setting – with a best-in-class learning environment that is sure to bring out the very best in all its pupils and help them reach their full potential.”
Head of School, Heleyna Thompson thanked all stakeholders for their support with opening the school and went on to say:
“Inspired by our setting amid the tallest buildings in the city, our vision for the school is to provide education on another level, where possibilities are endless and where all pupils can thrive regardless of their background or circumstance.
“We’re determined to make sure our school is an enjoyable and exciting place for our pupils and getting to know them all over these first few weeks and seeing how much they already love their school has been brilliant.”
