Official opening of Hackwood Primary Academy

It was a very proud moment for us at The Harmony Trust and many who have been involved in the process of getting this landmark school ready in a remarkable time.  We were joined by a number of people who have been through this exciting journey with us.

Tamara Rolfs, Executive Principal of Hackwood opened the ceremony by welcoming key guests from Lungfish the Architects, Morgan Sindall Constructions, Derby City Council – staff and Councillors, Redrow Homes, Miller Homes, to parents/carers and local community members and our VIP guest Wayne Madsen Cricket Player for Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

The event started when we were we were all given a tour of this remarkable new build and an overview of how it was constructed. 

This was followed by the children welcoming the guests by performing their own version of ‘If you are happy to be at Hackwood’.

Key note speakers included Cllr Evonne Williams, Council Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Rob Cant Framework Director for Morgan Sindall and our very own CEO Anthony Hughes.

Antony, opened up the speeches by thanking everyone who was present and addressing the children that Harmony’s Trust’s motto is something he hopes will come to mean a great deal to them all.  ‘Believe, Achieve, Succeed’, three simple verbs which will mean so much more during their lifetime in Hackwood – believe in yourself, achieve in lots of different ways through learning and succeed – that your time in Hackwood helps you succeed for the rest of your lives!

Antony continued in his speech to mention his firm belief in children and their education and how we build the partnerships that help us create a world class academy. 

He continued with a quote from Winston Churchill “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us”.  

He gave his thanks to our colleagues from Derby City Council who invested the responsibility of this new school with The Harmony Trust because of our desire that this is a school that is at the heart of its community.  Part of our educational beliefs is that parents are partners in learning, and like Believe Achieve Succeed it is more than just words to us. 

His final thank you of the day was to thank Tamara Rolfs (Executive Principal), Stella Binoy (Principal) and their team who have not had much time to get the school ready and they have shown just how important this Academy is to them by working throughout the summer to get things in place.

Councillor Evonne Williams was truly excited to see the Academy from initial discussions to completion.  She was thankful to all who had been involved to get the school completed within the timeframe and was looking forward to seeing the community grow and The Harmony Trust work together with the council and the local community.

Rob Cant Framework Director from Morgan Sindall finished off the speeches by expressing his true delight in being involved in the scheme since the start.

He continued to say that ‘It’s been a unique project for us. Its speed of build, its modular form and the stakeholders we have worked with, have all been part of an exciting mix that has created one of the fastest delivered schools in the UK.

He also extended a big thanks to those involved from Scape Group, Derby City Council, Miller and Redrow Homes, Lungfish Architects and Eco Modular and all of the supply chain that have helped them meet the needs of this new community.

Rob stated that with community in mind that speed would never compromise the final quality. As I hope you can see today, the finished school looks fantastic. This bold and colourful building which will hopefully provide an inspiring environment for teachers to teach and students to learn. Because at the end of all this, that’s what it is all about. It’s not just about the experience we deliver or the building, but the legacy we leave for the community to help inspire the next generation.

At Morgan Sindall Construction, we’re wholly focussed on a purpose – creating places where people live, learn, work and play. And for this reason, it’s exciting to see schools like Hackwood welcome in their new pupils as it heads off into the academic year, with hope and anticipation for the future.He finished his speech by hoping the Harmony Trust and pupils settle firmly in their new building and everyone involved with the project can continue to see the lasting legacy that they should all be proud of.

This was followed by the official ‘Cutting of the Ribbon’ with Anthony Hughes, two pupils and VIP Guest – Wayne Madsen from Derbyshire County Cricket Club. Wayne presented two cricket bats one to Morgan Sindall and one to the Academy, he said he was very lucky to be part of this new beginning and hoped the children would have many happy memories of their time at Hackwood. 

The children finished the event by singing ‘Reach for the Stars’.

What a wonderful new start to this new school and to a new community.

Head Office - Alderson Street, Oldham, OL9 6DY
Office Hours - Monday - Friday 8.00am - 4.00pm
Chief Executive Officer - Antony Hughes
Chair of Trustees - Andrew McCully
SEND Trustee - Ian Robinson
Safeguarding Trustee - Graham McGuffie