Bishop’s BEST – Building Educational Spaces for Tomorrow
A Vision for Academic Excellence, Wellbeing and Inclusivity
Jump To: Development Overview | Sixth Form Zone | Connectivity | Catering | Sustainability | Timeline | Stay Informed | Help Support Us
At Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School, we are committed to providing our students with a dynamic and inclusive learning environment that nurtures both academic excellence and personal well-being. Our pupils are lucky to have a modern and comfortable building. However, with our approach to teaching in smaller groups whenever possible, space is tight. Additionally, our portacabin Pupil Support Centre is reaching the end of its life and cannot be repaired cost-effectively.
After a number of years of careful planning and preparation, the Governing Body has agreed to invest a substantial sum towards upgrading our facilities for the benefit of our current and future pupils.
We’re excited to introduce Bishop’s BEST, our new school improvement project. Over the next seven months, we’ll be delivering developments designed to ensure that every student has the resources they need to thrive and reach their full potential.
Bishop’s BEST is all about creating facilities that enable our students to excel in their education and their personal development. Here’s an overview of the exciting developments you can expect.
New Block with Pastoral Hub and Classrooms
The main Bishop’s BEST development is to replace the existing portacabin (the Pupil Support Centre or PSC) which has reached the end of its life with a larger sustainable modular building. This new, larger facility will provide:
- A dedicated well-being space to support students’ mental and emotional health.
- A Pastoral Hub housing our Heads of Years, tailored to each student’s learning needs.
- Four brand new classrooms to enhance the learning experience in a modern, adaptable environment.
The new block will be a welcome addition to our current facilities, enhancing pupils’ learning and development.
A planning application has been submitted and is available to view on the Welwyn Hatfield planning portal: Planning application 6/2025/0191/MAJ. The planning team has already given us positive feedback on our pre-planning application.
An Enhanced Sixth Form Zone
In addition to our new block, we are extending the Sixth Form area in the main building, creating a larger social and café space and relocating the sixth form study and office space to the same area. Our goal is to provide a zoned, cohesive study and social space that encourages independence, collaboration and flexible learning.
This upgrade will give Sixth Form students the ideal environment to prepare for the next stage of their academic or career journey.
Internal Remodelling and Broadband Connectivity
The above projects will enable us to remodel some of our internal spaces to improve facilities for all pupils and staff. We are working to develop an additional large teaching space, appropriate for practical lessons such as Drama, and also to create a new, larger staff room better able to accommodate our growing staff body.
In parallel with the above developments, we are also delighted to be upgrading our broadband line in order to keep up with the digital demands of modern learning. Since we have moved to cloud-based technology, broadband traffic has increased and our current “pipeline” simply isn’t sufficient for school needs.
New Catering Outlet
A new catering supplier will offer a wider variety of food and drinks to cater to the tastes of young adults.
After Easter, we will be welcoming new caterers to take over our dining experience. We have reviewed a number of suppliers and are confident that the chosen company will transform the food offer with over 90% of the food being freshly prepared, minimising sale of processed items.
The caterers will be rebranding our main service area and external pod, the Lunch Box. At the same time as the summer building works take place, the new caterers will install a new Sixth Form Café area with a high-street style hot drink and snacks offer. This will be situated in the new Sixth Form zone.
For more information about our catering offer, visit our new Catering Page .
Sustainability and Biodiversity
At Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School, we believe that our responsibility to the environment is just as important as our commitment to academic success. That’s why biodiversity and sustainability are integral to the Bishop’s BEST plans. These efforts include:
- Sustainable building materials and energy-efficient systems for our new block
- Landscaping initiatives that promote biodiversity and provide natural spaces for learning and reflection
- Enhancing our green spaces by planting more trees and hedges, and extending our wild flower meadow across the school grounds.
Project Completion Timeline
Bishop’s BEST will be undertaken in a phased approach to minimise any disruption to school life:
We hope to have all these exciting new developments in place by the start of the new academic year in September 2025. Some areas will be ready earlier, allowing for a smoother transition for students.
How to Stay Informed and Get Involved
We want to keep our entire school and local community informed as we work through these exciting changes. Here’s how you can stay updated:
- Regular updates will be posted on this page, so check back often for news.
- Follow us on our social media platforms to be kept up to date with photos and information as it happens.
How You Can Help Support Our School’s Future
The success of Bishop’s BEST is not only dependent on the plans we have in place, but also on the support we receive from our school community and local businesses. We believe that together, we can create a learning environment that will positively impact generations of students.
Here’s how you can help:
Crowdfunding for Bishop’s BEST
Our goal is to raise at least £25,000 by the end of the school year but whatever you can afford, your donation will be incredibly valuable.
We’ve launched a JustGiving crowdfunding campaign to help fund various aspects of our facility improvements, including new learning resources, well-being spaces, and sustainability initiatives. Every contribution, no matter how big or small, will make a real impact. Your donations will directly support the development of:
- New classrooms.
- Dedicated spaces for student well-being and academic support.
If you or your child want to take on a group or personal sponsored challenge to raise funds, whether it is running, cycling, or something creative, the money can be easily raised through our JustGiving page.
To raise funds or donate (from as little as £5), please visit our JustGiving page (https://www.justgiving.com/bishophatfield) or Wisepay
Participate in School Fundraising Events
We’ll be hosting a series of exciting fundraising events throughout the year, and we’d love for you to get involved!
These events will provide fun opportunities for the school and local communities to come together and raise funds for Bishop’s BEST. From charity runs and quizzes to line dancing evenings and film nights, there are plenty of ways for both pupils and parents to participate. Keep an eye out for event dates and details in our newsletters, on our website and on our social media platforms!
Your ideas and your time are precious too. If you have a fundraising idea or can help organise an event, please contact us at fundraising@bishophatfield.herts.sch.uk You can also volunteer with our Parents’ Association by filling our Expression of Interest Form on our website: https://bishophatfield.herts.sch.uk/parents-association/
We are also keen to hear from anyone whose employer operates a fund-matching scheme (also known as Pound for Pound) whereby the money raised at an event you attended or you helped organise will be matched by your employer. Email us at fundraising@bishophatfield.herts.sch.uk to find a suitable fundraising event to support.
Below is a list of past fund-matching employers but we encourage you to contact your employer’s Human Resources department to enquire.
Fundraising Events:
- Easter Chocolate Raffle – Drawn on 2nd April (DONE)
- Non Uniform Days – Friday 5th April and more to come
- Quiz Night – Thursday 15th May 2025 (Tickets now on sale on Wisepay)
- Sing-along Movie Night – Date TBC
- Music of Black Origin (after school) Celebration – Date TBC (Autumn term)
- Christmas Wreath Making workshop – Date TBC
Keep an eye on this page, our newsletters and our social media platform to find out what else we have in store
By attending and participating, you’ll be helping us create a brighter future for your child(ren) and future generations of Bishop’s pupils.
Local Business Support
We’re reaching out to local businesses to partner with us in supporting Bishop’s BEST. There are various ways businesses can contribute, including:
- Sponsorship of key areas of the project (e.g., the new block, a classroom, a classroom technology, new furniture, etc.).
- In-kind donations of materials or services to help us run fundraising events
- Volunteering time or expertise in areas such as landscaping, construction, event planning, fundraising or even driving grant applications
Supporting our school not only makes a difference to the lives of our students, but it also helps strengthen community ties. We welcome local businesses to join us in making this vision a reality.
For more information about partnering with us, please contact: fundraising@bishophatfield.herts.sch.uk
