New term, new school for Lanchester pupils
From Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Young People, Cllr Ken Meeson on 29 September 2008
Pupils at Lanchester School have started their new term in a brand new school campus.
The school has been completely re-built as part of Solihull’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project.
Lanchester School provides education to pupils from across Solihull who experience severe and complex emotional, social and behavioural difficulties.
The £9m new building will cater for up to 50 students and includes:
- Facilities for learning about vocations such as construction, horticulture, hair and beauty, business and enterprise and hospitality
- The latest ICT technology from RM including interactive whiteboards, projectors and a plasma screen display
The school’s vision for the future is to be able to offer fixed-term places for pupils at risk of social exclusion from their mainstream school to help them reintegrate back in.
Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Education, Children and Young People, Cllr Ken Meeson said: “This is a fantastic new building with excellent facilities. But this project isn’t just about new buildings. It will transform education for young people too. All of the schools in the involved in our Building Schools for the Future project will work together to share their different facilities and specialisms to offer children a tailored package of education. Combined with state-of-the art IT, children will leave their new schools equipped with the skills they need to ensure a brighter future.”
Lanchester School is one of six secondary schools in the north of the borough, which are being completely rebuilt as part of the Government’s national Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. The schools will work in close partnership to share facilities and expertise to create the best possible opportunities for young people.
Over £80 million pounds will be spent on the project in Solihull, which the Council is carrying out in partnership with BAM PPP that design and build the schools and will maintain three of them, and RM that provide state-of-the-art ICT.
The next new schools to be completed are Archbishop Grimshaw and Park Hall due in October and the final phase of Smiths Wood will be complete in Autumn 2009.
For more information about the BSF project call 0121 704 6643 or email: awatson@solihull.gov.uk
Notes to editors:
- Lanchester School is the third BSF school in the borough to be completed. Forest Oak and Merstone schools are already enjoying their new shared campus built by Moss Construction which opened in June 2006.
- BAM PPP were appointed last year to complete three further schools under a PFI contract which will see their sister company HBG (Construction) undertaking the design and construction of the new schools and then (HBG FM) providing facilities and management services once they are complete. The remaining school will be completed by HBG under a traditional contract.
- RM is the ICT partner who are providing as part of an existing managed service all of the computer equipment, training, staff, and support needed for leading-edge ICT systems in our new schools.
For members of the press and media only: 0121 704 8172
Email: juturner@solihull.gov.uk