Work Starts On Building New School At Weeton Barracks
Work starts on new school at Weeton
Work has started on building a new school at Weeton army barracks.
A turf-cutting ceremony has taken place to mark the start of the building of a new primary school at Weeton.
The new building, to replace the existing school, will be located on land bought by the county council from the Ministry of Defence on Minden Road, currently on the Weeton Barracks army site.
The new school is needed to replace the outdated existing building and to meet extra demand for places now and in the future.
Around 160 pupils currently attend the school and a large proportion of them are from serving army families. The number of pupils who are admitted to the new school will increase to 210.
The new single storey building, due to be completed in autumn 2016, will have seven classrooms, a library, a 'Rainbow Room' for children who need extra support, and a sports hall. An all-weather sports pitch will also be built.
County Councillor Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for children, young people and schools, said: "We need to increase the size of this popular school to meet additional demand for places now and in the future.
"We are constantly reviewing changing demographic factors to make sure the number and location of the school places we provide are adequate throughout Lancashire. It's great that we've been able to offer these extra places in a modern building, specifically designed for the needs of the school. This will be a real boost for the local community."
Anthony Goth, headteacher of Weeton Primary School, said: "We are looking forward to being able to accommodate more children soon in our brand new facilities."
"This is a very exciting time for us."
Corporal Des Hornby, from the 2nd Battalion of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, said: "We've developed a really good working relationship with the county council.
"I'm looking forward to this continuing and the new school starting to take shape."