More than 200 former pupils, teachers and members of staff will return to Culverhay School this summer to take one last look around the site where generations of Bath residents learned, worked and made lifelong memories.
Over two days, Bath & North East Council staff will lead guided tours giving people the chance to walk the corridors and classrooms of the former Rush Hill school before the buildings are demolished and the site begins its next chapter.
The tours come after confirmation that the site will remain in educational use as the future home of Green Ways Academy, a 120-place Special Free School for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The project forms part of ongoing work to increase specialist school places across Bath and North East Somerset and help more families access support within their local community.
The first of the tours took place yesterday (6 August) and as visitors walked around the site, many shared stories of friendships, favourite teachers and sporting achievements, reflecting on the key role Culverhay played in the lives of thousands of local people over more than six decades.
Among them was former pupil Mick Rose, who attended the school during the 1960s. He said: “This school is special, that’s why I wanted to come and have a look round. I’ve been looking forward to it and it was really worthwhile. It was nice to go around and see all the old rooms like motor engineering - we took the car engine apart and put it back together. I remember we used to drive the car around the two playgrounds and that’s how we learnt to drive.”
Another former pupil, Des Hayward, said he was pleased to see the site continuing its educational purpose. He said: “It gave me the chills going round. It’s a double- edged thing because of my dad’s connection to the school, he was a stone mason and worked on building it, but I have two grandchildren with special educational needs and one goes to Midsomer Norton at the moment so it will be nice when the new school is built to have a proper facility nearby, less travel.”
Councillor Paul May, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: "Culverhay has been part of Bath's story for generations and it's clear from today's visit just how much the school meant to the people who passed through its doors.
"It has been wonderful to see former pupils, teachers and staff reconnect, share memories and reflect on the impact the school had on their lives. There is a real sense of affection for this place.
“We have worked tirelessly to achieve the retention of education on this site. We gave a public commitment a long time ago and are delighted this scheme is starting by the demolition of the old inappropriate buildings, so detail analysis and design can start for the 120-place special school.”
The tours were open to former pupils and staff aged 18 and over, with places allocated through an advance booking system. A second day is already fully booked for 27 August.
Whether they attended for a few years or spent their entire school life there, the chance to walk through the buildings one final time provided an opportunity for the visitors to celebrate the place Culverhay holds in Bath's collective memory and to see how its legacy will live on through a new generation of learners.
