Children and staff at Two Rivers CofE Primary welcomed the Bishop of Bath and Wells to their environmentally-friendly school building in Keynsham.
The Rt Rev Michael Beasley was shown around the award-winning building and took part in an assembly with pupils before a plaque was unveiled to mark the official opening. The chair of Bath & North East Somerset Council, Councillor Karen Walker, was also in attendance.
Two Rivers School was opened by Futura Learning Partnership in 2020 to serve the growing Hygge Park estate in east Keynsham. Two years later, staff and pupils moved into their eco-buildings.
Futura worked in partnership with B&NES Council to develop the school to the highest Passivhaus environmental standards.
Futura chief executive, Andrea Arlidge, said, “Educating children to live well and be the next guardians of our planet is of critical importance and the philosophy of Two Rivers and its innovative building is leading the way in showing what is possible. It is a national example of how great architecture and design can provide an educational environment that promotes sustainability.”
The school’s name was chosen to link old and new, reflecting the town’s development around Keynsham Abbey at the confluence of the rivers Chew and Avon about 1,000 years ago.
Two Rivers Primary is one of six Bath & Wells Diocese Church of England schools in the 26-strong Futura family of schools in Somerset and the West of England. The school was rated Outstanding in its first inspection by Ofsted last year.
Above: Andrea Arlidge and Bishop Michael with headteacher Matt Filer and children at the unveiling at Two Rivers Church of England Primary School in Keynsham