Time capsule preserves children's hopes and dreams for new school

CHILDHOOD memories and artefacts have been preserved in a time capsule buried at the site of a new school in Tameside.

Pupils from Hawthorns Primary School placed the items that they’d created into the steel time capsule during assembly.

The school council then visited the site where their state-of-the-art new school is being built in Mottram to watch the time capsule be lowered into the ground. It contains messages about their favourite memories of school over the years and their hopes and dreams for the future, alongside trinkets and craft items that they’ve made. A plaque marks the spot where it’s buried.

The new school was commissioned by Tameside Council and built by Robertson Construction North West, who helped to facilitate the time capsule. The £21million development is on course to open for the start of the new school year.

Managed by New Bridge Academy Trust, it will provide 246 places for children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). Hawthorns School was originally designed to accommodate 60 pupils at its current site within Aldwyn Primary School, Audenshaw, and the outstanding and popular school has outgrown its capacity.

Councillor Bill Fairfoull, Tameside Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Children and Families, said: “It’s a lovely idea for the children to preserve the artefacts they’ve made, alongside their memories and hopes, for future generations to find, learn from and enjoy.

“The new school is about creating the ideal environment where children with SEND can learn, develop and be happy and we all share in the vision of what it will achieve in the future. I can’t wait for pupils to be able to make the most of the superb facilities when the new school year starts.”

A spokesperson for Hawthorns School’s Senior Leadership Team said: “Hawthorns has a long history of supporting children and families from its establishment in 1958 on Corporation Road in Audenshaw, to the  new school site, which will enable us to provide more children than ever with a wealth of educational learning experiences within a purpose built environment.”