The visit also offered NUSA the opportunity to showcase its £24m state-of-the art complex, which was officially opened in September by Olympic gold medal-winning athlete Dame Kelly Holmes and is built on the site of the former William Sharp school.
Speaking before the event, Principal David Harris said: “Of course I am delighted to be able to show-off our wonderful new building to the Countess, but more importantly I hope it is the young people she will meet that will impress her. Helping our pupils to make the most of the complex adult lives that lie ahead of them is our core purpose, hence our keenness to be fully involved in the innovative Life Skills work being developed in Nottingham.”
The Countess arrived at NUSA at 12.30pm after her arrival was delayed by fog. She was met by NUSA and local representatives including Principal David Harris, University of Nottingham Pro-Vice Chancellor for Access and Community Relations Professor Karen Cox, local city councillors and a handful of the school’s 650 pupils.
From there she was taken into The Street — an impressive glass-covered central atrium linking the two main teaching wings of the school — where she was treated to a performance by students interpreting a piece of music through dance and drama before looking in on an art class in progress.
Next on the tour of the NUSA facilities was a visit to the Wonder Room — a modern day cabinet of curiosities designed to promote learning by inspiring and fascinating pupils, especially those who may be harder to reach through traditional academic teaching. Among the eclectic mix of weird and wonderful items currently on show are dinosaur bones, a 1930s typewriter, a number of alien-looking plant seeds, a bee’s tongue under a microscope and a costume from the 1980 film Flash Gordon. Agent of Wonder Dr Matthew McFall, a researcher in The University of Nottingham’s Learning Sciences Research Institute and magician, met the Countess, while a number of NUSA pupils showed her their favourite exhibits.
Her tour took her on to the interactive life skills lesson where pupils were tested on their knowledge of the cost of living — from the price of a litre of milk to a three bedroom house and feeding a family of four for a week — and learned techniques on planning a budget effectively. The lesson was an example of the 11-16 Life Skills programme which is designed to help young people develop the personal skills and confidence to deal with the choices and potential difficult situations they are likely to face in life. The project is targeted at all 11-16 year olds as part of Nottingham’s Early Intervention Programme which takes a multi-agency approach to tackling generations of complex issues and deprivation within the City.
After stopping to speak to a group from the city’s Family Nurse Partnership, who were making use of NUSA’s excellent facilities, the Countess unveiled a special commemorative plaque in the Academy's lecture theatre.
Her visit coincided with another topical Royal event — she responded to the announcement that Prince William and Kate Middleton are to be married by telling the media in attendance that she was 'delighted' by their news and wished them 'all the love and luck in the world'.
The Nottingham University Samworth Academy is one of the first in the country to have direct sponsorship and academic links with a university and is also backed by local businessman and philanthropist Sir David Samworth.
The University of Nottingham has a significant presence at NUSA with lecturers, students and support staff taking an active role in the life of the school. They work with individual students as mentors, lead large groups on a range of topics and host a variety of workshops on the latest research in science and technology. A Pupil Research Group also works with University staff on the latest innovations in teaching and learning.
The new £24m government-funded complex was designed by Atkins architects and will eventually cater for 950 pupils, including a 200-strong sixth form with a particular remit to encourage young people to achieve their potential academically and vocationally. The Academy aims to be much more than a school, acting as a resource for the community in which it is embedded.
As a specialist college for Science and Health, the new building includes facilities specifically tailored to these areas, including the latest scientific and engineering laboratories and a professional dance studio. Food technology is another specialism of the Academy which boasts industry-standard catering facilities. The Academy restaurant will also be open at times to the families of pupils and the wider local community.
The building has been kitted out with some outstanding facilities including: suites of Apple Mac computers, video editing equipment and PCs; a recording studio; a 220-seat, university-style lecture theatre; a suite of music technology rooms; and excellent sports facilities such as an imaginatively-designed fitness trail and a fully-fitted multigym.
The new building has been created to be as environmentally-friendly as possible, with a green ‘living’ roof, rain water recycling and a biodiesel boiler which uses renewable energy.
The construction of the Academy was delivered by Nottingham’s award-winning Local Education Partnership which is a public-private partnership between Nottingham City Council, inspiredspaces and Building Schools for the Future Investments (BSFi).
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Notes to editors:
The University of Nottingham, described by The Times as “the nearest Britain has to a truly global university”, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 39,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.