St Columba’s Catholic Primary School in Wallsend is set to benefit from a brand new, purpose built school building as part of the Department for Education’s national School Rebuilding Programme. This significant investment will support the long term future of the school and provide high quality facilities for pupils. The investment follows earlier disruption caused by the identification of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the former school building meaning that the school is currently housed in temporary accommodation on site.
The new building will be constructed on a similar footprint to the original school building following demolition. The current temporary facilities will remain in place and in use throughout the construction period.
The new school building will meet modern environmental standards through minimising energy demand and using low carbon and renewable energy solutions, including solar panels on the roof and ground source heat pumps for heating.
The proposed school development will accommodate 210 pupils from Reception to Year 6, alongside 26 nursery places, to support children aged 3 -11. There will be no change to pupil or staff numbers as a result of the redevelopment.
Facilities will include modern classrooms, group learning areas, a large hall, an open-plan library, staff spaces, meeting rooms and a school kitchen for hot meals to be served on site.
The external spaces will include hard and soft play areas, with improved school fields and retention of the forest school. Landscaping has been designed to improve accessibility, outdoor learning opportunities and the overall environment for pupils.
Construction will be delivered by Galliford Try on behalf of the Department for Education, with works planned to ensure the school can continue operating safely throughout the project.
St Columba’s looks forward to the next stage of this redevelopment, which will deliver a modern, vibrant and sustainable school building designed to support future generations of learners.
Headteacher Mrs Rachel Steinmetz said, “We appreciate all of the hard work that has gone into this project so far from the contractors, Department for Education and Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust. This is an incredibly exciting time for our St Columba’s school family, and we are truly grateful for the ongoing support from all our children and parents.”
Anita Bath, Chief Executive of Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust said “The Trust welcomes the significant investment from the Department for Education in developing a state-of-the-art building for the children of St Columba’s Catholic Primary school. We know staff and pupils alike will be excited to see the construction of their new school over the coming months.”