Over 130 guests attended a reception at the Steiner Academy in Much Dewchurch last Friday evening celebrating the completion of the building programme, which was, said MP Jesse Norman, "not just the opening of a building but the opening of minds." Other guests included the Mayor of Hereford Julie Woodward and Baroness Estelle Morris of Yardley and assorted educators, local politicians, governors, staff, parents and friends.

Following an afternoon tour of the school Estelle Morris shared tea and scones with some students from Class 10 (year 11), before addressing the invited guests in Birch Hall. She spoke about the importance of creativity in the lives of all of us, commenting that Steiner education has a strong commitment to creativity through the entire curriculum, while the ethos encourages parental engagement with school, regarded as a hub of community life. "Don't change," she told the audience. "this is educational history in the making – the first publicly-funded Steiner school in the country."

The three year, £9.5 million building project, designed by John Renshaw Architects and built by Speller Metcalf is entering its final phase, with just the landscaping and garden and craft classrooms to finish.

The Academy's Principal, Trevor Mepham, declared that this event confirmed that the Steiner Academy is open for business as a member of the local family of schools, offering an authentic and effective difference in the educational landscape of Herefordshire.