Families, students, staff, governors and guests gathered to celebrate the official opening of Oldham’s Newest School – The Brian Clarke C of E Academy, which is part of the Cranmer Education Trust.

Student performances included piano recitals, poetry and choral performances.

The assembled audience heard Headteacher Allison Ash share how privileged she feels to lead such a successful school and thanked everyone who has been involved in its conception and completion. School Governor the Reverend Canon Jean Hurlston spoke about the school’s mission and vision and offered prayers for its continued success.

Cranmer Education Trust CEO Julie Hollis highlighted that the school has been open to young people  for 20 months, first in temporary buildings and then from June 2023 in the new building, but the school also has 6 years of history and planning and collective effort and determination before that, through challenging national and global times.

She went on to thank local political leaders, faith leaders, local authority officers, local MP Jim McMahon, Bishop Mark Davies and everyone who was part of the actual design and construction of the building.

School Patron Sir Brian Clarke was unable to attend the ceremony due to illness. She told attendees:

“Brian is an international artist. He works in stained glass and has developed new technologies to take a medieval art form and bring it into the modern age and has  created works across the world that make buildings radiate and shimmer with light and colour. He has worked with the greatest international architects, from London to New York to Riyadh  and Tokyo.

Brian asked if he could create and donate unique stained glass windows to this school, because Oldham and its people mean so much to him. He was born here. His family worked in the mills. He says that his bones are made of the dust from the red brick, His earliest memories were of the hooters and whistles marking the shifts and great tides of people coming in and out of work. He said:

“the warmth of the people and the matter-of-factness with which relentless hard work was embraced has been a compass setting that has navigated my life”

sir brian clarke

Artist & Patron

He believes that he owes his industry, his resilience, his sense of purpose, direction and integrity to the community he came from. And he wanted to put something back, to do something special for the young people of the borough. A new school which has “Luceat lux vestra – let your light shine” as its motto spoke to him.

So now it’s over to us to take on that message of ambition and excellence and community, and the faith and hope that it rests on.”

Guests, including members of Sir Brian’s studio team who travelled from London to be part of the ceremony, were then treated to tours of the school building and the 6 stained glass windows created by Sir Brian. The event concluded with an unveiling of a plaque by Dr Sean Curley on behalf of the trustees of the Cranmer Education Trust and Governors of the school and the blessing of the building by Bishop Mark of Middleton.

Pictures show the unique stained glass windows situated in the dining area of the new school.