BIG MOMENT FOR TOWN AS LETCHWORTH SCHOOL MARKS START OF £18.2 MILLION REBUILD

CONSTRUCTION is part of the government’s FLAGSHIP Priority School Building Programme

Children in Hertfordshire have been given a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to learn in a state of the art school thanks to a major government rebuilding project – the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) – which starts today (June 30).

Under the programme, the Highfield School, a secondary in Letchworth, will benefit from a modern two-storey school building as a result of the £18.2 million rebuild.

The work will see most of the existing buildings demolished, making way for much-needed modern facilities which will serve generations of students. Aside from new classrooms, the building will feature seminar and art rooms, laboratories, music practice space, a library, dining areas and kitchens.
Highfield is one of 15 schools across the east of England to be rebuilt under the PSBP, worth £4.4 billion, which will address the needs of 537 schools in England in the worst condition.

Schools Minister Lord Nash said:

“As part of our long-term economic plan we are investing in school buildings across the country, so we can transform the learning environment for tens of thousands of pupils and their teachers.

“The start of work at the Highfield School marks a key milestone for the Priority School Building Programme in Hertfordshire.

“As part of this government’s commitment to help young people reach their potential, we want all children to have access to the best possible schools and to learn in an environment that gives them the knowledge and skills to succeed in modern Britain. These new school buildings will provide modern, fit-for-purpose facilities for pupils and staff for many years to come.”

To celebrate the start of work, students and staff from the school were joined by council dignitaries, representatives from the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and the contractor, Kier Eastern for a turf cutting ceremony.

Ian Morris, Headteacher of The Highfield School, said:

“I am delighted that work has finally started on the new school build. This is a fantastic development for the current and future students of the school and a once in a lifetime opportunity for Letchworth.”

Ian Powell, Senior Project Manager for Kier Eastern said:

“We are really looking forward to starting work on these much-needed new, modern facilities for Highfield School. We will liaise closely with staff at the school throughout the build. The pupils will be in a unique position as they will be able to watch their new school develop around them from the ground up, and we hope to engage with as many students as possible during the construction programme to show them exactly what is involved in building a large-scale project of this nature.”

Work on the main building at the Highfield School is due to finish in spring 2017.

Improving the standard of school buildings so that pupils learn in high quality classrooms and teachers have access to the best facilities is a vital part of the Government’s plan for education.

Thanks to the PSBP, school buildings are being rebuilt faster and cheaper than those built under the previous school building initiative - Building Schools for the Future (BSF). Under the BSF it took three years for construction work to begin. This was slashed to one year for the PSBP, with projects costing around a third less.

Notes to editors

  1. The Priority School Building Programme was established in 2011 to address the needs of those schools in the worst condition across the country.
  1. The list of 261 successful schools under the first phase of the programme was announced in May 2012. This has since been revised to 260 school projects, after St Philip Howard Catholic Primary School in Kent was closed due to insufficient pupil demand in the local area.
  2. Thanks to decisions which have been taken to improve efficiency and reduce waste in central school building programmes, significant work on those projects is already underway. As of 5 June 2015, we have: 25 schools open in new buildings; 138 schools for which construction contracts have been signed (including the 25 schools open); and we are working with all the schools in the programme.
  3. In May 2014 the Government announced a further £2 billion for the second phase of the programme. A list of the 277 schools to benefit from the second phase of the PSBP was published on 9 February 2015.
  4. For more information call the Department for Education press office on 020 7783 8300.