Wait for single-site school is over at last
A village school has won its 20-year struggle to get all its pupils into the same building.
Staff and pupils at Lostock Hall Primary are celebrating the end of a battle to see their two schools merged on to the same site.
Despite delays due to bad weather, the school is now officially one, with the infants and juniors sharing the same building. The rambling Linden Drive junior department has been extended to accommodate the infant and nursery children, who until now were housed in a crumbling century-old Victorian building nearly a mile away.
Successive headteachers and governors tried in vain to get the children onto one site following the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools years ago. A plan, which took two years to come to fruition, was finally given the green light three years ago.
The official opening took place on Friday and the staff and children from Avondale Road have now finally moved. Headteacher Ian Kirkland, who has been at the helm for the past nine years, spearheaded the move.
He's spent his time flitting between the two buildings and said the benefits of having all 420 pupils under one roof are already evident.
He said: "It is absolutely brilliant to have all the children on one site. We had a great first day and I have just had my first ever whole school assembly."
Until now special events, such as Christmas assemblies, had to be held at the nearby high school. Mr Kirkland added: "It is really good to have all the children, and staff together. They can just walk down the corridor now into the infant area. I firmly believe that the children will benefit tremendously educationally from being on one site, not just the children who are here now but future generations. This is a legacy. It has taken a long time to happen."
He said parents will also benefit by not having to trail between the two schools. The children were able to see the work as it progressed and marked the historic event by preparing their own time capsule, which was buried in the foundations for posterity.
The school recently received an outstanding accolade from Ofsted inspectors, who described it as "outstanding" and every area of school life was praised.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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