As the new ‘superschool’ – which is going to be situated in Broomfield, Cumnock – is in the design process, the long-awaited images of the plans are now available to the public. This article is based on pupils and parent’s views of the school and what they hope is included in the new school.
David Kay, the parent of a Cumnock Academy pupil, believes that the facility needs to be fully accessible to young people with a variety of needs and fully inclusive of all.
David also believes that overall the campus has a positive impact on the community as during our interview he said: “The community is fortunate to have such a state of the art facility, to be built in the middle of it which will strengthen the relationships of the young people of Cumnock and Auchinleck.”
Lucy M. – a pupil from Cumnock Academy – also believes the school should be built with disabled children in mind, for example, lowered light switches and easy access classrooms.
Lucy M., a second-year pupil who attends Cumnock Academy said “the whole reason people are against the new school is where it is being built – Broomfield, where a lot of people like to go during their spare time.” This may show the council that the public are not against the superschool, yet where it is going to be situated.
Evie S., another pupil from Cumnock Academy, believes that new state of the art facilities should be in place to help different departments thrive.
In addition, David Kay, the father of a Cumnock Academy pupil believes that locker space would be hugely beneficial from their own experience as their daughter suffers from back pain due to the heavy bag she carries around the school daily.
Also, as a Cumnock Academy pupil myself, I think a study room should be put in place, equip with computers and state of the art technology to help the students. This would be a great aid to the students to help them study especially for pupils who don’t have access to the internet or a place which is quiet and peaceful.
Another issue which the ‘superschool’ carries is that both Cumnock Academy and Auchinleck Academy are merging. This may cause some problems due to the supposed ‘rivalry’ between both schools. Lucy Menzies, a pupil from Cumnock Academy, has mixed emotions about both academies merging as the propaganda of the two academies being rivals, yet she believes a good aspect of the merger is that pupils will meet new friends.
After research, it has become apparent that included in the plans are purpose-built areas for dining, games, sport and recreation, information communication technology, drama and the arts which will hopefully include some of the ideas above.
By Alix K. S2
