Unity College When it Opened in September 2004

Janet Anderton, who was a pupil in the 60's and who works at the school has sent us this account including the photos.

The photos are especially interesting, as having been bored silly by her father's passion for photography, Janet has never touched a camera until now.  

Click on any photo to see a larger image.

Janet Writes on 30th September 2004:

The new Unity College has opened, although parts of it do resemble a Beruit bomb site!  The builders have the work areas cordoned off so the pupils can walk within the boundaries in safety.

The buildings currently being used by the pupils and staff are The Tower, UCAB (which was previously Kingsley Park Middle School and before that the Girls' Grammar School, the Pearson Building (formerly the NSG science block) and the Sports Hall.  [UCAB stands for Unity College Avenue Building]

I have to say that the Sports Hall is absolutely fantastic - state of the art.  The builders are currently adding the finishing touches to the exterior of the building, but inside, everything is just about finished.  As you enter, the "telephone room" is straight in front of you.  This is a small glass-fronted office where the telephonist sits.  This is also the visitors reception centre, and she deals purely with phone call and visitors.  (She may be able to do more when things settle down and get "back to normal").  There is a facility on the new system for callers to dial straight through to the person they require and/or leave a voice mail.  The switchboard is all very new to me; you answer the call, and then you click the icon (with a mouse) on the screen in front of you, and the call automatically goes through to that extension.  To the right is the sports hall itself, which is pretty magnificent. I would say it is about double the size of the old gym and about twice as high (with windows just at the top).  There are changing rooms with individual shower facilities (with doors exposing the shoulder and leg areas - rather like at the Mounts Swimming Baths). Pat, the Admin officer, took us on a tour, and wandered into a shower cubicle, without realising that they were automatic - came on as she entered the cubicle.  She got drenched from head to foot, which was really funny.  She complained that it was cold, but I said that had they known she wished to shower fully clothed, I am sure they would have turned the heating on.  Someone else said that the showers gradually warm up anyway.  I have not gone in myself to find out!

Upstairs there are a variety of lovely offices (I am hoping to get a temporary office in here) and classrooms.  All classrooms are air conditioned, which automatically adjusts taking into account how many people there are using the room.  There is only one entry and exit door (the same one) to the building, which is very good as regards security.  All valuables will be security chipped, and an alarm will go off if anyone passes through the door trying to take out an item without permission.  There are security cameras everywhere.  There are also automatic water dispensers and cups (children are to be encouraged to drink 2 litres of water per day and are allowed to take water into their lessons). Outside, they have almost finished putting down the block paving.

Stretching from the swimming pool building almost to the former playground is the new car park. They are still finishing this off, but we can use it.

Pupils are using the Tower. The ground floor is not in use.  The area where the front doors used to be now looks like a McDonalds drive-thru.  The area which was the quadrangle and where the old cloakrooms were is now a mass of rubble.  Pupils enter the building via metal steps, through an entry that has been cut through on the first floor.  The turnstiles have not yet been constructed and the swipe card entry is not yet in use, so a security guard is currently in place.  The porter's lodge has not yet been built.  Currently, the pupils are being registered in their first lesson of the day.

The Pearson Building is being used for Expressive Arts.

Once the Key Stage 3 building is completed (probably about a month or so) all Years 7, 8 and 9 pupils will be mainly taught in there.

Eventually the admin staff will move to a new admin suite on 2nd or 3rd floor of the Tower, although some plans are a little fluid still. I think we will be in the Sports Hall for about 18 months.

Phase 3 of the building work will see the Library area of the old school changed into an amphitheatre.

Things are still fairly difficult, by the end of the last week in September. I still haven't got a desk or a PC yet, as they have been working on the new IT system, getting computers configured etc. I am hoping to be able to get in next week - though, to be honest, I had hoped to get in last week as well !

The school now seems a much "bigger place".  In its peak as Trinity High School, there were around 700 pupils, and already there are 400 more than that, with plans for more.  There are also a lot more staff, and after nearly a month I am still seeing staff who I have never seen before.

The building work continues, and I will be able to add more detail as the buildings are finished.

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