3 March 2020
Vara opens new school building at Sawtry Village Academy

Shailesh Vara MP officially opened a new building at Sawtry Village Academy last Friday in Sawtry near Huntingdon.

The Academy was successful in receiving £2 million funding for the building from Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children and Young People Committee. This followed a long campaign which included a Government ministerial meeting arranged by Mr Vara as well as considerable effort by Cllr Simon Bywater, Chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Children and Young People Committee. Also very active with the campaign were Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust CEO Mark Woods and members of the local community.

The additional funding has meant that the buildings in the school most needing renewal could be replaced by the new purpose-built building, which includes 18 new classrooms.

Mr Vara was joined at the opening ceremony by Cllr Simon Bywater, Headteacher Simon Parsons, Academy Trust CEO Mark Woods, former principal and now executive Principal of the academy Sarah Wilson along with pupils from the academy.

Following the opening Mr Vara said:

“I am delighted to see this fantastic new building completed. Students, parents and staff at the academy can rightly be very proud of these new facilities.

“The school was in desperate need of refurbishment and the funding from the County Council has been monumental in moving this new build project forward.

“All of this would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of so many people including Cllr Bywater, Mark Woods and the local community.”

Cllr Simon Bywater added:

“It has been a long campaign to secure the funding for this project, but it has all been worthwhile and I am very pleased to see the new building completed and in use.

“The new classroom facilities are wonderful and will now provide an excellent learning environment for the students, giving them the opportunity to succeed with their education”.

Photo: Mark Woods, Cllr Simon Bywater, Simon Parsons, Shailesh Vara MP, Sarah Wilson, Amy Fullam and Ben Tomsett.