Livingstone Academy, Bournemouth, Celebrates Official Opening

Livingstone Academy, a new, all-through academy for 4-19 year olds, was officially opened by Sir Ian Livingstone, co-founder of Games Workshop and the inspiration behind Bournemouth’s newest school, on Friday, September 22nd.

The school celebrated its grand opening with an interactive tour of facilities designed especially for a twenty-first century education. Local dignitaries, officials from the Department for Education, games designers and university academics were among the invited guests.

The unique development supported by the Department for Education, was completed over the summer and sees the historical court buildings of Bournemouth meet state-of-the-art architectural design in an ambitious building project led by leading construction group, Kier.

Mark Norris, Operations Director for Kier Construction London & Southern said: “The Livingstone Academy was designed to support STEAM learning and to provide its students with a state-of-the-art campus to learn about the digital world. We combined our expertise in refurbishment and new build construction to deliver this, and we are pleased to have handed over high-quality facilities where students can enjoy learning.”

The new buildings feature a library, science labs, performing arts facilities, a games design studio and ‘making spaces’ where students will learn how to code, design video games, and create digital art. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities such as robotics, e-sports, and entrepreneurship.

The academy is overseen and operated by Aspirations Academies Trust, whose mission is to ensure its pupils receive an education that will prepare them not only for success in traditional exams, but also for the future world of work in a digital age.

With its focus on transdisciplinary learning, problem solving, creativity and critical thinking, the partnership with Sir Ian was an obvious one.

“I am thrilled to open Livingstone Academy,” said Sir Ian Livingstone. “This is a school that will build on children’s natural curiosity and inspire them to learn and to use their creativity to change the world. I have long believed in digital-making and the power of play, bringing the principles of games-based, and project-based learning into the school curriculum.”

Leader of BCP Council, Vikki Slade commented, “‘The opening of a new school in the centre of Bournemouth is a wonderful opportunity to reimagine how we all think about communities, and the introduction of a school that is dedicated to modern ways of learning and equipping young people for the future is refreshing.”