In September 2013, the new Chichester Free School made history by pushing open the gates and welcoming its first ever primary and secondary pupils through its doors.
In the months leading up to the school’s opening, local parents, teachers and professionals sharing the same vision and ethos had worked tirelessly, liaising with the Department for Education and other organisations to fulfil the very real need for a new non-selective, co-educational all-through school in the Chichester area.
Their unwavering commitment paid dividends, and the group were delighted when they were given the green light for their new free school to go ahead. After a series of meetings with CFS Project Lead Helen Humphry, our creatives and developers set to work on stylish, informative and user-friendly offline and online collateral, in line with their vision of a nurturing, challenging and inspiring environment.
It was inevitable that when Margaret and Claire were invited for a tour of the school’s temporary accommodation, they would seize the opportunity to witness first-hand how the school has taken shape now the classrooms are up and running.
One of the first things in evidence when walking through the door was the familiar sight of a neat stack of prospectuses on the table in the Reception area!
They were able to watch a maths lesson and a drama lesson in progress, before being welcomed in to view a classroom by a very courteous Year 1 pupil! The Reception class was a bright, airy space (where Margaret was particularly impressed with the funky, ergonomic Swedish style chairs!). The Principal, Guy Martyn, stopped by for a chat, and the girls were delighted to be presented with a certificate for Buzzword’s contribution to the development of the school.
It was a unique experience to see how the school had grown from just an idea, to a fully functional school, and although temporarily situated in a series of modern offices within a commercial building, a very real learning environment in classroom settings was evident .. with smart, happy and engaged pupils to boot!
It is expected that Chichester Free School will move over to a nearby permanent site in 2016. In the meantime we are thrilled to be continuing our relationship with Helen and the school, and we wish them every success as they continue to flourish.
