£20.3m school and college gets seal of approval from two mayors
A new £20.3m high school and college has been opened in Wigan by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Mayor and town Mayor Cllr Bill Clarke.
They performed the official of Deanery High School and Sixth form College following its delivery by construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall.
The project is one of 12 schools to be rebuilt by the company under the North West batch of the Education Funding Agency’s (EFA) Priority School Building Programme (PSBP), which aimed to provide purpose-built buildings to schools in most need of urgent repair.
The 1,500-place school, on Frog Lane, includes new dining facilities, an activity studio and a library.
The Morgan Sindall team also refurbished the school’s existing sports hall and its classrooms.
Burnham joined local politicians, dignitaries and former students to open the new school.
He also unveiled a commemorative plaque before addressing guests with a short speech. The Deanery’s school band also provided musical entertainment during the ceremony.
The new building was then blessed by Bishop Rt Reverend John Goddard.
Head teacher at Deanery High School and Sixth Form College, Janice Rowlands officially welcomed guests to the event, who were given a guided tour of the new facilities.
Head teacher Janice Rowlands said: “Everyone who comes into school is really impressed by the building and the pupils and staff are thrilled with their new environment.
“It has obviously taken a lot of hard work and effort to turn the vision into reality and so a big thank you to all those who have ensured that everything finally came to fruition. As the school motto says – ‘Hinc Futura’- the future begins here.”
Barry Roberts, area director at Morgan Sindall, said: “Deanery High School and Sixth Form College has been purpose-built to provide a modern teaching environment for students and staff. We are thrilled to have delivered this project, which we are sure will serve the local community as a place for first class education for years to come.
“The Priority Schools Building Programme has enabled Morgan Sindall to deliver a number of first-rate education facilities for schools that were most in need of urgent repair across our region.”
