Work under way on school projects worth £15m

WORK has started on the two school rebuild projects in Chester with a combined value of more than £15m.

Constructor Morgan Sindall has begun at Blacon High School in an £11.5m project.

The company is also carrying out the redevelopment of JH Godwin Primary School, also in Blacon.

The two projects are part of 12 schools to be delivered by Morgan Sindall under the Education Funding Agency’s (EFA) Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) which aims to provide purpose-built school buildings to those in most need of repair and replacement.

Blacon High School on Melbourne Road, is currently housed in three separate buildings and these will be replaced by a single three-storey building.

A phased demolition will allow the school to remain open and lessons to continue as normal whilst the new school is built.

The new three-storey building for Blacon High School will provide a modern environment for its 600 11-16 year old pupils.

The purpose-built school will provide modern classrooms and facilities for dining, drama, a modern library service and a new sports hall.

The school will be located along Auckland Road, changing the orientation of the site away from Melbourne Road, to ease congestion around JH Godwin Primary School, where Morgan Sindall also starts work in June.

Sue Yates, head teacher of Blacon High School, said: “We are thrilled about the new school which will allow us to secure an outstanding learning environment for the young people in this community. This shows the level of confidence that there is in this school to continue to deliver high class teaching and learning.”

JH Godwin Primary School is currently housed in a two-storey building with limited accessibility to the upper floor.