Houlton partners band together to host World Class student event
Rugby’s new secondary school, Houlton School, is proud to have welcomed students from across the country to Houlton to take part in the celebrated annual World Class Schools Accreditation Day.
Houlton’s Master Developer Urban&Civic worked closely in partnership with Houlton School, the World Class Schools charity and the neighborhoods' housebuilders to bring the event to fruition, for this, the first physical event of its kind that’s been held following the pandemic.
The event, which saw over 170 students from across the country come together to be assessed against The World Class Schools Quality Mark (WCSQM), is an integral event in the education calendar.
Across the 11 project teams, both primary and secondary aged students worked collaboratively to design gardens, eco-friendly seating, murals, sculptures, and tree hangings, which culminated in the creation of the community garden at Houlton School.
Urban&Civic connected Houlton’s housebuilders with the opportunity to engage with the event, and housebuilders Lovell and Morris Homes were happy to be on board and to throw their support behind the project teams by donating core materials including planters, paint, brushes, chip board and nails for the student’s task.
The student teams were supported by staff from Houlton School, Urban&Civic and Houlton’s first ever cohort of year 7 students at Houlton School who were on hand to collaborate and advise the groups throughout.
Students were briefed in advance on their real-life project and given two weeks to prepare for their assessment, this was followed by a full day at Houlton School where they completed their task and were assessed.
The young people’s mission was to create innovative, attractive and environmentally friendly indoor and outdoor spaces which tied back into Houlton’s core values of innovation, aspiration and excellence.
Chloe Buckenham, Houlton School Vice Principal, said: “We were thrilled to be given the opportunity to take part in the World Class Schools event. Not only was this a fantastic opportunity for the students and something they’ll cherish, but it was also an invaluable opportunity for Houlton School that we couldn’t have bought about on our own.
“We were so grateful to Urban&Civic for the support and commitment to bringing this event to life. They not only helped connect us with the housebuilders who donated core materials and supported on the day, but they remained by our side throughout to ensure everything ran as smoothy as it could.”
Kyle Smith, Communications, Communities and Partnerships at Urban&Civic, said: “Working collaboratively with our partners on community initiatives such as this one, enables us to unlock many benefits for the young people of Houlton. It was a joy to see the benefit the students got from taking part in the World Class event, both from those who took part in the task teams and from the Houlton School pupils who supported those they’d only just met from other schools.
“The transformation of Houlton School’s community garden is nothing short of a masterpiece, and something we have no doubt will be enjoyed and celebrated for many years to come.”
Earl Patrick, Community Engagement Lead from Lovell, said: “It was our pleasure to support the students taking part in their WCSQM assessment, and great to be there with them on the day to witness the passion, enthusiasm and attention to detail they put into their projects. The dedication they illustrated on the day was second to none and what they’ve created for Houlton School is a real triumph! We wouldn’t have missed it and are thankful to Urban&Civic for reaching out to get us involved.”
