Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Chaucer’s tale
Work is well under way to rejuvenate the former Chaucer School site with numerous interested parties and various proposals. Alex Claridge investigates
Two years ago the Chaucer School in Canterbury shut its doors forever.
Falling rolls over the years meant that it was no longer viable and Kent County Council found its pupils new schools elsewhere.
Today much of the massive site between Pilgrims Way Spring Lane has a post-apocalyptic feel. The buildings are devoid of life, weeds grow from cracks in the ground.
A security guard in a hut stops anyone getting anywhere near the buildings, warning them that it is derelict and full of asbestos.
But the fact is that part of the old school has become, well, a school again.
Buildings at the back close to where the Canterbury East to Dover train passes have been occupied by the Canterbury High School as its sixth form performing arts centre. Pupils from the St Nicholas special school are also making use of classrooms.
And more importantly, there are numerous plans being floated for the rest of the school and its ample playing fields...housing, a free school, a science and business school and a police cadet centre for youngsters considering a career in law enforcement.
At the start of the school year part of the site was occupied by Canterbury High School where building work is taking place to create a new three-floor block to accommodate an extra form of entry.
Head teacher Phil Karnavas said: “The reason for this new building is that the high school has become so popular in recent years – and this popularity has resulted in us having the biggest sixth form in Kent.
“The Chaucer is Kent County Council’s site and they have allowed us to come over here and house some of the sixth form.”
Canterbury High now has 120 performing arts pupils based permanently at the Chaucer. They are making use of refurbished studios, music rooms and classrooms for music, musical theatre, dance and acting lessons.
But it is in the longer term that the most important developments are possibly to take place.
The Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys envisages the new site being home to a kind of educational three-legged stool. It consists of a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and business college run jointly by the Langton and Canterbury High.
The business school element