Bognor Regis Community College pupils bury time capsule for future students

The ceremony on Tuesday, September 22, was to mark the progress of the new Bognor Regis Community College.

Taking part were Chloe Archer and Billy Stevens (Year 9), Hollie Gibbens and Tom Atkinson (Year 8), and Harriet Buck and Terry Cobb (Year 7).

They donned white hard hats and yellow fluorescent jackets to make their way past diggers on their way to the event. The children supported the lead capsule on two straps as they lowered it into the hole.

Its lid bears an explanation in raised lettering of what it is and when it was buried.

A commemorative plaque will be mounted on a wall next to the burial site so future generations will be able to find the capsule and marvel at the ephemera inside.

It includes photographs, an old school tie, a sporting cup from the late 1970s, an up-to-date student organiser, a timetable, canteen menu, calculator, pens, pencils, a mobile phone, floppy disks, CDs and DVDs as well as a mug from Willmott Dixon Construction, which is building the school.

Giving a speech at the ceremony, Chloe said: "I am here to talk about this beautiful lead time capsule that will be built into the fabric of the new school.

"Firstly I would like to say thank you to Mrs Jewell for making me part of the 'time team'.

"The time capsule marks the start of a new era for Bognor Regis Community College and I am excited by the idea of continuing my education in a brand-new learning environment.

"I've already enjoyed my first two years at this school because I've participated in Senior Rock Challenge and developed my teamwork at Cobnor, as well as making lots of new friends."

She added: "I now hope that by taking advantage of the facilities on offer at the new school I can broaden my horizon.

"This time capsule presents the opportunity for us to inform people of the future about our school life as it is today.

"These items may seem insignificant to us at present, but we do not know what the future holds and these simple items may be things of curiosity when the capsule is discovered.

"The new school represents the future and we hope the time capsule provides a closer look into the past of Bognor Regis Community College."

The children enjoyed three periods out of class for the event and their exemplary efforts were rewarded with a huge plate of chocolate cake and shortbread pieces.

They were also allowed to take their hard hats home as souvenirs.

West Sussex county councillor Mike Coleman, whose Nyetimber division includes Pagham and part of Aldwick, said: "I am absolutely delighted to be here on behalf of West Sussex County Council and representing the

residents of Bognor Regis.

"This is going to be a wonderful facility, and I would like to

congratulate everybody for getting it to this stage."

Willmott Dixon Construction operations manager Russell Miller said: "We are delighted to be here working on the project.

"We have had a very close relationship with West Sussex County Council and the schools, so we are on time halfway through the project and on time to finish, which we are very proud of.

"I am looking forward to handing it over in May next year and watching the client come in with a big smile on their face."

The project began three years ago when West Sussex County Council won more than 37m of government funding to redevelop Bognor Regis Community College under the Building Schools for the Future programme.

After an intensive period of design work in 2007, Willmott Dixon Construction began building the four-storey school last November.

Its features will include two large atria, a sixth form lecture theatre and a wood-burning boiler. It is designed to benefit from natural light and air, with high standards of insulation, to minimise energy use.

Computerised facilities will be everywhere '“ digital signs, a large video wall, interactive whiteboards and fingerprint technology to register pupils and end their need to carry dinner money.

Headteacher David Jones, who took over in September 2007, is keen to use the new building and its facilities to introduce exciting new ways of learning. The school is a sports college and there is an emphasis on new sports facilities, including a sports science laboratory and the latest generation of synthetic turf pitches.

Work is on schedule to finish in May '“ the school is in the 47th

of 81 weeks of construction '“ and it will open next September.

It will mean that for the first time Bognor Regis Community College will be a united school.

Until now Years 7 and 8 have been taught in buildings next to Pevensey Road, while Years 9 to 11 and the sixth form have been on the other side of the campus by Westloats Lane.

The amalgamation theme has been continued by the building of a new primary school on the campus to take over from The Glade Infants School and The Michael Ayres County Junior School.

Willmott Dixon Construction is also building that '“ it is expected to be finished in December '“ and pupils from those schools have already had a time capsule ceremony at their new site.

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