St Dunstan’s College was delighted to finally officially mark the topping out ceremony for the new development on Friday 2 October.
The ceremony, which is traditionally held when the last beam is placed atop of the structure, was due to take place earlier this year but was delayed due to coronavirus.
During the afternoon, a group of junior and senior students were given a socially-distanced tour of the new build by the Willmott Dixon team and the College’s bursar, Mrs Clair Wilkins.
Junior pupils got to tour the Junior School area learning about the new classrooms and exciting outdoor learning spaces. Meanwhile, Senior School students got to visit the STEM side and the new Sixth Form Centre, which will feature a new café and independent study area modelled on university learning environments.
Speaking about the event, Mrs Wilkins said: ‘Spending the afternoon with a small group of pupils and senior staff to mark the ‘topping out’ of our new Junior School and STEM building was an absolute delight.
‘The pupils, who brought a buzz of excitement to the construction site, represented every key stage of the College, from Pre Prep to Year 13. We can’t wait for our next visit, when hopefully coronavirus restrictions will have been lifted and we can really celebrate this huge achievement.’
The new development, which is being constructed by Willmott Dixon, is due to open in April 2021 and will include a Junior School, STEM Centre and Sixth Form Centre.
Speaking about the new build, St Dunstan’s headmaster Mr Nicholas Hewlett explained: ‘This represents the most significant redevelopment of our college sites since our foundation in Catford, in 1888. I feel sure our founders and benefactors would be proud of the innovative new buildings that are being constructed, as records show they were intent that a St Dunstans’ education should be ‘ahead of the current time.
‘As one of the first schools in the world to have invested in science and technology laboratories, it seems fitting that 130 years on, we are creating state of the art STEM facilities for the next generation of Dunstonians.’
