Wait for new '˜army' village school is nearly over

Youngsters at a crumbling school will witness history in the making when the first sods are cut at the site of their desperately-needed new premises.
Weeton Primary School.Weeton Primary School.
Weeton Primary School.

The ceremony, planned for next week, will mark the end of a decade-long wait for a new purpose-built primary school at Weeton Barracks, near Blackpool.

Since the end of last year, when the current premises in Grantham Road was condemned by building inspectors, some of the school’s 145 pupils have been taught in the canteen while urgent repair work to the ageing school building is completed and others are in the Army training wing at the barracks,

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Lancashire County Council, which operates the school, bought land from the Ministry of Defence to replace the 1950s prefabricated village school, which is used mainly by the children of forces families.

Detailed plans were approved as far back as 2012 but there were delays over the land deal.

The state-of-the art £3.4m facility will be built on land at Minden Road and cater for up to 160 four to 11 year olds.

It will include 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 provided.

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It is the first school built by Preston-based Conlon Construction inside a military base in it’s 55 year history.

The single-storey building should be ready in time for the new school year this autumn.

It will include 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 provided.

Headteacher Anthony Goth 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.”

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Councillor Matthew Tomlinson, the county council’s 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.

“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.”