Kingham Hill School celebrates new Mathematics and Science building

21 Aug 2014

Kingham Hill School recently celebrated a milestone in its history with the laying of the cornerstone for its new Mathematics and Science building. Professor Joss Bland-Hawthorn, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Sydney and former Kingham Hill School pupil, was guest of honour and laid the cornerstone of the £4 million building.

Pupils, parents, governors and guests came together for a day of festivities that included an academic symposium. Professor Bland-Hawthorn was joined on the lecture platform by the eminent Chair of Electrical Engineering from the University of Oxford, Professor Lionel Tarassenko for a morning of stimulating talks. Professor Tarassenko talked about his work in artificial intelligence whilst Professor Bland-Hawthorn shared his research into galactic archaeology.

A chapel service and laying of the cornerstone provided an opportunity to dedicate the new building, which will be finished later this year. The building will provide state-of-the-art Mathematics classrooms and Science laboratories at Kingham Hill School and is part of a wider development plan to upgrade facilities across the site over the coming years.

Headmaster Nick Seward said “the cornerstone ceremony marked a special moment in the school’s history. This is the first significant structure to be built on the Hill for many years and marks an exciting new chapter in the life of Kingham Hill School. It was wonderful for our pupils to have the opportunity to hear first-hand from two of the world’s leading scholars. It is my hope that this new building will inspire a new generation of Mathematicians and Scientists, some of whom may also follow in the footsteps of our speakers as experts in their academic fields, but above all, leave school with a thirst for knowledge of the world around them.”

 

Photo: Crowds gather to witness the laying of the cornerstone