The award-winning Nottingham-born actor today (Thursday) visited the new learning village at St Peter’s CofE Junior School in Ruddington to officially open the Vicky McClure building.
The four buildings within the £6.5 million learning village are all named after inspirational local people. The others are Viv Anderson, Mary Earps and Ada Lovelace.
Joined by her husband, filmmaker Jonny Owen, Vicky gave pupils the chance to ask her a range of questions as part of a special assembly. Vicky and Jonny were also given a full tour of the school.
Fresh from winning a national TV award for best performance in a drama, Vicky commented:
“I’m really proud to see my name on this school building. It’s fantastic to visit St Peter’s and meet everyone.”
Headteacher Michael Bradley said that the school was delighted to welcome Vicky and show her around the building named in her honour. He said:
“It was wonderful to see her spend time talking with our pupils, not only about her career and achievements, but also about the importance of contributing to society and making a positive difference to the lives of others – something that closely aligns with our own school mission.
“Vicky was truly inspirational to our pupils and staff. Her story, her achievements and her commitment to making a difference make her an outstanding role model for our children, showing them what can be achieved through kindness, determination and a desire to have a positive impact on the world around them.”
Completed earlier this summer, the temporary learning village was built in record-breaking time and accommodates all 350 pupils. It stands next to the building that was permanently closed at the end of 2025 due to safety concerns.
The project was managed and delivered on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council by Arc Partnership, a joint venture between the council and SCAPE.
Wayne Bexton, Director of Economy, Environment and Assets at Nottinghamshire County Council, said it was an exciting day for the school. He said:
“We are thrilled that this local legend has taken time out of her schedule to officially open the building.
“This school has shown great resilience over the last few months and it’s fantastic that everyone has settled into their new home, which was designed to be a great environment in which to learn, with catering on site, a school hall and SEN provision.”
