Time capsule burial marks completion of new classrooms expansion project at Fulbrook School

A new facility was officially opened last Friday (12/7) in readiness for the new academic year in September and followed the unveiling of a new sports hall at the end of last year.

The construction project has been part of Central Bedfordshire Council’s Three-to-Two-Tier Programme, to support Fulbrook School’s change from a middle school to an extended secondary school, a transition which began in 2022.

The move saw Fulbrook become one of the first three-tier schools in Central Bedfordshire to make the transition to a two-tier model of education, bringing the school back to its original 1958 standing as a secondary, before it was changed to a middle school in 1973.

The new teaching block of 12 classrooms including four science labs, eight general purpose classrooms and an additional SEND facility, will help Fulbrook School accommodate the increased number of pupils that will start their secondary education journey from Year 5 while, from September, the school will have its first-ever Year 11 GCSE students.

The time capsule burial ceremony was attended by guests from Central Bedfordshire Council, contractors Spacemaker Developments (SMD), designers Concertus, Woburn Sands Town Council and Aspley Guise Parish Council with students singing a few songs to mark the occasion.

The capsule contains a document that outlines for future generations the Fulbrook School Behaviour Blueprint which underpins what is referred to as ‘The Fulbrook Way’.

It also contains a programme of the previous night’s performance of Beauty and the Beast, plus a school tie, photos and a speech from student Grace Glastonbury, who asks the question of future generations, “should we have a universal language?” A poignant snapshot of 2024 is captured in a letter written by Headteacher, Samantha Clancy, who will celebrate 20 years on the school staff in September.

She said: "It is a pleasure to celebrate this momentous occasion in the school’s history and mark the opening of our new two-storey teaching block by burying a time capsule, which we plan to be opened in 50 years’ time. I doubt that I shall be here to witness that moment, aged 102 years old, but we shall see.

“It is an honour and privilege to be headteacher of this fabulous school and to work with some amazing adults and superb young people. I’ve been saying for some time, ‘the future is coming; come with us’. It feels, for us, that the future is now here.

“I hope that Fulbrook continues to be the very special place that it is today. The place is so much more than a set of buildings. It’s all about the people and, for that reason, it will always have a special place in my heart.”

Central Bedfordshire Council Executive Member for Children, Education and Families, Cllr Rebecca Hares, said: “We hope the benefits of this expansion project will be felt long into the future, but it’s fitting for the present Fulbrook School staff and pupils to capture this milestone moment and leave a legacy, through the burial of a time capsule, to tell their stories to the next generations.”