Improved school buildings fit for quality learning

Initially launched in 2011 with a focus on rebuilding and refurbishing the schools in most urgent need of repair, the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) is managed centrally by the Department for Education’s (DfE) Education Funding Agency (EFA), rather than by local project teams. In the first wave of the programme, 260 schools received capital funding of £2.4bn. A list of the 277 schools to benefit from the second phase of the PSBP was published on 9 February 2015. Therefore, a total of 537 schools will benefit from construction through the two phases of the PSBP.

Making sure schools are high quality and positive environments is a key part of the government’s long-term vision for education. There is a general belief that better schools help build a fairer society and a better economy. The intention of the PSBP is to undertake school rebuilding and refurbishment projects to improve the overall standard of school buildings by creating classrooms which are conducive to learning and providing access to world-class facilities for pupils and teachers. Schools in the programme are spread across England and have been grouped together in batches by taking consideration of condition, need, commercial viability and geography. The programme covers primary, secondary and special education needs (SEN) schools.

This September, more than 11,500 pupils returned to school for their first term in new buildings, with 22 buildings re-opening for the start of the new academic year as a result of £160 million of construction work from the programme. This took the total number to have been re-opened through the first phase of PSBP to 49. This month, that number continued to rise.

New schools, new opportunities
A special school in Essex has reopened after being given a spacious new building through the programme. Edith Borthwick School, an all‑age school in Braintree, is the beneficiary of £9.1 million worth of PSBP funding, which has seen the school’s old buildings replaced with a new two-storey facility which includes break-out rooms, spacious hall space and external areas for each of the ground floor classrooms.

Ian Boatman, head teacher of Edith Borthwick School, said: “We are delighted to take delivery of our superb new school, built by Wates Construction under the priority school building programme. The building offers us high-quality accommodation, with a wide range of spacious and inspiring learning spaces. We are now well placed to meet locally-based special educational needs (SEN), and have a school fit for the future.”

A further two special schools have also re-opened into new multi-million pound buildings. Bank View and Redbridge High Schools in Liverpool have moved into a linked building with some shared facilities a mile from their previous locations.

Both schools have managed to increase their capacity as a result of the refurbishments, with Bank View extending its intake from 120 to 150 pupils and Redbridge increasing from 90 to 120 pupil places.

The Department for Education funded the rebuilding of Redbridge, while Liverpool city council paid for Bank View High School. Bank View caters for autistic pupils and those with emotional and behavioural difficulties, while Redbridge is attended by children with profound and multiple learning difficulties, with the school building accommodating specialist facilities including a hydrotherapy pool, sensory rooms, a soft play area and a therapy room.

Paul Cronin, head teacher of Redbridge High School, said: “We are all absolutely delighted that the new school project has now come to fruition. Staff and governors are thrilled to able to provide our pupils with state of the art facilities they need and deserve to enhance their learning experiences even further. The pupils themselves have adapted immediately to the new facilities and take great delight in welcoming visitors and showing off the new building.”

Juliette Gelling, head teacher of Bank View School, said: “Everyone at Bank View School is delighted with the new building. Each part of the school has been designed to meet the needs of our students and they are already benefiting from the new areas of school, such as the vocational and sensory rooms.

“All the staff and pupils have settled well and we are all so proud of our new environment which promotes a calm and relaxing atmosphere in which pupils can progress socially and academically.

“This is an exciting time in Bank View’s life and we very much look forward to watching our students flourish and move successfully on to the next stage of their lives.”

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “We have to make sure that the children with the most needs get the best teaching in quality buildings. We are responding to the increase in demand for places by replacing old and worn out facilities with better quality buildings.

“The investment at Redbridge and Bank View enables staff to teach pupils the full curriculum, which is hugely important in making sure they achieve their full potential.”

Completed projects
Elsewhere, Canterbury Primary School in Kent is the latest of 13 schools in Kent to be rebuilt through the first phase of the PSBP. As a result of its £2.8 million rebuild, the school’s old buildings have been replaced with a new two‑storey building, including an improved hall, learning resource centre and bright teaching spaces. The new building can also take twice as many pupils as the previous building, with an additional 210 places provided by joining up PSBP funding with basic need funding.

Phil Karnavas, executive principal of The Canterbury Academy Trust, said: “The Canterbury Academy was pleased to be among the first schools to be chosen to benefit from the PSBP. We are delighted with our new school. It is a bright, spacious, modern building incorporating state-of-the‑art IT which will enable our young children to really enjoy and achieve in their learning.”

Moorgate Primary Academy in Staffordshire benefitted from £3.6 million worth of funding, which has seen a two-storey building with bright new classrooms and modern features, including an energy-efficient automatic ventilation system, be built on the school grounds. A dance studio has also been included, which will be available to the public.

Jonathan Williams, head teacher of Moorgate Primary Academy, said: “We are delighted with our new building, which is a modern 21st century facility, and different in every way from our old Victorian building.

“We now have all sorts of mod cons, from an automatic mechanical ventilation system to a school bell beeper system, and the children were able to see the construction work from the playground of the old school, which was very exciting and involving for them. Since we moved into the new building, everyone – the pupils, the staff and the parents – have just been walking a bit taller. We are all extremely proud.”

West Cornforth Primary School in Durham received £3.3 million worth of PSBP funding, which has seen the school’s old 1926 buildings replaced with a modern single‑storey building which sits in the centre of six acres of land. The new building has a multi-purpose hall, a new IT suite and light, spacious classrooms with access to outdoor teaching areas. During the re-opening ceremony, pupils and staff were joined by a former pupil of West Cornforth, businessman Sir Moir Lockhead, chairman of The National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Rugby Board and senior governor of Aberdeen University.

Janet Sarsfield, head teacher of West Cornforth Primary School, said: “One year on from the closing of the old school, the pupils, staff and governing body are delighted with their new school building. The building is a bright, warm and inviting learning environment that meets the educational needs of all our pupils.

“Many of the spacious facilities, such as a high-spec wifi and IT system, hygiene room, food room, classrooms with independent access to the outdoor learning environment and additional spaces for working, are far more suitable to inspire, motivate and encourage our pupils to learn than what we had before.

“We have a very happy and successful school community working in this wonderful building. All staff, governors and parent/carers work collaboratively and harmoniously together, to ensure our children receive a good start in life.”

Lockhead said: “This new school building is amazing, it is good for the children, for everyone in the area. I would love all children to have this quality of facilities.”

Meanwhile, as a result of £3.9 million worth of construction, Mesne Lea Primary School’s old buildings have been replaced with a brand new two-storey facility, including additional classrooms and a large multi-purpose hall. The building also benefits from modern insulation to protect against outside noise, allowing pupils to enjoy a quiet learning environment.

Julie Finlay, Mesne Lea head teacher, said: “The pupils and staff are really excited to be starting the new school year in our fantastic new building. We have additional classrooms, a much improved IT infrastructure, a far superior dining hall and a studio, and all of this in a building with amazing sound insulation, which allows children to learn in a calming environment.”

Works in progress
Pupils at Great Coates Primary School in Grimsby have buried a time capsule to mark the start of work to rebuild their school through the government’s flagship rebuilding programme. As a result of the £3.8 million worth of construction – due for completion by May 2016 – the school’s 1970s-era building will be replaced with a modern two-storey facility, with bright new classrooms and a sports hall which will also be available for use by the wider community.

Anna Coney, head teacher of Great Coates Primary School, said: “Children and staff have enjoyed collecting items to bury with the capsule, and this ceremony will mark the start of an exciting new beginning for Great Coates Primary and the community. Work is already underway and all the initial plans are becoming a reality – it is the talking point for our children.

“From this point, the new school will really start to take shape. It’s a tremendously exciting time for everybody connected with Great Coates Primary.”

Additionally, pupils at Baysgarth School have also held a ceremony to mark the start of work to create a brand new building and sports village through the government’s flagship rebuilding programme. Baysgarth School, a secondary school in Barton-upon-Humber, is one of eight schools across north and north-east Lincolnshire to be rebuilt through the PSPB. Thanks to £13.8 million worth of construction, the school’s old buildings will be replaced with a new two-storey facility, with an accompanying sports village.

This village, featuring a new skate park and modern changing facilities, has benefited from a local authority contribution of around £670,000 towards the rebuild. Work on the main building of the school is due for completion by January 2017.

Richard Briggs, Baysgarth School head teacher, said: “There is a real sense of excitement in the school and the wider community about the new build. These fantastic new facilities will serve the Barton area for the next 40 years and I am very proud to be the head teacher who oversees the handover.

“Together with the sports village which will develop on-site as part of the new build project, this scheme will put Baysgarth at the forefront of educational provision in north Lincolnshire. Without a doubt it will support us in our aim to be an ‘outstanding’ school within the next three years.”

Pupils from two schools in Cumbria will also be looking forward to walking into new school premises by the start of the 2017/2018 academic year. As a result of the joint £20.1 million investment, the two schools – Stainburn School and Science College and Southfield Technology College – will come together in a modern, fit-for-purpose new two-storey facility. Work is due to be completed by June 2017.

Lorrayne Hughes, executive head teacher of William Howard Trust, said: “These are really exciting times for the community of Workington, with a fantastic new building underway that will provide excellent facilities and an outstanding learning environment.”

Jonathan Logan, head teacher, said: “We are delighted that the new academy building is underway and on schedule to open January 2017. The young people from Workington and surrounding areas deserve the best possible education and our new premises will help us to achieve this. We are also working closely with the building contractor, Sir Robert McAlpine, to ensure that learning is not disrupted in any way during the construction phase.”

Not all good news
Thanks to the programme, £15.3 million has been spent completely renovating the Ian Ramsey CoE Academy school site in Stockton-on-Tees, ensuring generations of pupils will have access to the best possible facilities for learning. The 1,200-place academy is also the first secondary school opened under the programme.

Executive head teacher Gill Booth said: “This new building offers our young people a chance to flourish and learn within the best facilities that the 21st century can offer.”

However, according to the local newspaper, The Gazette, Ian Ramsey CoE Academy school is still suffering from problems since its refurbishment, including ‘lack of space’ in science labs and ‘inadequate’ locker numbers. A report seen by The Gazette from Stockton Council’s Education Admissions Appeal Panel, outlines concerns over ‘lack of space’ within the school - including dining facilities that can only accommodate 250 pupils when there are more than 1,000 per day requiring them.

There have also been warnings that additional pupils could take a further toll on resources. The new Fairfield Road school base has come under criticism from parents who launched an appeal through Stockton Council after their children were denied places.

Peter Snowden, the school’s deputy head teacher, who had previously given evidence to the appeals panel, explained why the admission of additional children could ‘prejudice the provision of efficient education or the efficient use of resources at the school’.

Further information
www.gov.uk/government/collections/priority-school-building-programme-psbp