A historic Southgate primary school has officially opened its doors after being rebuilt.
Walker Primary School’s old buildings were demolished to make way for a brand new, modern school with spacious classrooms, an IT suite, studio and large playground.
The building opened earlier this year but because of Covid restrictions, celebrations were postponed. Pupils, parents, staff and governors finally gathered to cut the ribbon in a special ceremony to mark the occasion. In a series of performances, the children sang, danced and played instruments before the school was officially declared open.
Walker Primary School originally opened in 1954. It was named after the Walkers, an English cricketing family, who lived at Arnos Grove House in Southgate. The family took a great interest in education and the site was bequeathed by one of the seven Walker brothers, Russell Donnithorne Walker, for the use of the people of Southgate.
It is now a two-form entry school with 420 pupils. In May 2019, planning permission was granted to demolish the existing buildings and build a new school on the site. Despite disruption caused by the Covid pandemic, the school was completed at the end of 2020 and the children moved into their new classrooms in January 2021.
Frances Warhurst, headteacher at Walker Primary School, says: “The children are incredibly excited about their new school and have been waiting patiently for such a long time to be able to share their joy with their families.
“Ongoing Covid restrictions and wet weather meant that we had to divide guests into small groups and cut several ribbons throughout the week! But the rain didn’t dampen our spirits and the children were delighted to finally show off their new building.”
Frances adds: “I am extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us through the journey of rebuilding our wonderful new school, and I’m proud of all the children and staff who worked so hard to make our official opening such a success.”
