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The Building Reaches a Milestone

The opening of The Milton Keynes Academy came a step closer today with the official topping out of the spectacular £27m building.

A host of local dignitaries attended the ceremony on the site at Leadenhall where the Academy is being built to replace Sir Frank Markham Community School.

Guests included the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire Peter Thorogood, Mayor Cllr Jan Lloyd and city MP Dr. Phyllis Starkey, as well education officials and representatives from the contractors Marriott Construction.

But it was 11 year old student Yoyo Wan who stole the limelight by delivering a speech to VIPs.

Yoyo, who speaks five languages told the 70 guests: "My hopes for the Academy are that you make a beautiful building which is a really great place for me to learn. I hope it will be a school where I will be happy and have fun. I hope it will be a school where I am challenged, where I improve my skills and where I can learn through doing lots of different things and get the best chance for my future. I want to be a translator and I want you all to help me find a path to my dream.

"I believe that the Milton Keynes Academy will be a great amazing school. I am looking forward to a happy and successful time there."

Principal Lorna Caldicott added: "We are building the best school, with an outstanding level of education so that we can provide the best possible future for Yo Yo and her fellow students. This is the start of something important for Milton Keynes and the area of Woughton in particular. It's been talked about for a long time and now it's actually happening we are all very excited about it."

The new state-of-the-art academy is sponsored by Edge, an educational charitable foundation. It is being constructed by Marriott Construction, the operating division of Kier Regional Ltd.

Roy Murphy, Chairman of Marriott Construction told guests: "This marks an important stage of the programme towards completion on this, the first new academy to be commenced under the Partnership for Schools national academies framework. We look forward to continued good progress and on- going success as the building approaches completion of phase one in August."

Councillor Sam Crooks, Cabinet Member for the School Build Programme at Milton Keynes Council, said: "This is an exciting landmark in the project to deliver the Milton Keynes Academy. We can see the vision turning into a reality. This has been a real joint effort by partners who have worked together from day one to provide a school, and a school building that will transform student achievement. The Milton Keynes Academy will be a wonderful place for young people to learn."