New £10m secondary school starts to rise from the ashes

The school, which serves the ex-mining communities of Norton, Campsall and Askern, was burned to the ground shortly before the Christmas holidays in 2009 and, since then, almost 700 pupils and more than 70 sixth-formers have had to be educated in temporary accomodation.

A ceremony was held at the school yesterday afternoon to mark the start of the year-long construction project to create a new school building, which should be open to pupils from February next year.

Schoolchildren, accompanied by headteacher Andy Sprakes, the English Democrat mayor of Doncaster Peter Davies, Doncaster Council’s member for children’s services Andrea Milner and David Price from contractor Wates Construction dug the first hole at the building site to commemorate the occasion.

Mr Sprakes said: “Everyone is very excited about the start of the building work at Campsmount Technology College.

“The design is fantastic and we are looking forward to watching the construction of the new Campsmount over the next 12 months.”

In September last year it was announced that the rebuilding of Campsmount Technology College would go ahead after all, despite the coalition Government previously pulling funding for the project.

Campsmount was originally due to be rebuilt with funding through the previous Labour government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme but, in July 2010, Education Secretary Michael Gove announced that all projects under the scheme that had not reached “financial close” would be scrapped.

This meant that all BSF projects in Doncaster would no longer receive funding and, even after Doncaster Council removed Campsmount Technology College from its list of schools included in the BSF project, it was still told there was no money available for the rebuilding to take place.

Only following a visit from a Department for Education representative was it announced some two months later that funding would be made available after all.

Mayor Davies said yesterday: “The Campsmount project has made tremendous progress since the Government approved the scheme last September.

“To get to this stage so quickly is testament to the hard work put in by everyone involved and shows how Doncaster can be a flag bearer for how major projects are likely to be delivered in the future.

“I am over the moon that construction work is now underway.”

Coun Milner added: “This is a momentous occasion for Campsmount School which has performed outstandingly well since the old school was burnt down.

“This time next year the teachers and young people should be in their new school and the sky is the limit to what they can achieve.

“If Campsmount can post a 100 per cent A-level pass rate and a 95 per cent GCSE pass rate, given all they went through, imagine what they can do in a new school.”

An electrical fault is thought to have started the fire at Campsmount Technology College, which broke out in the early hours of Sunday, December 13, 2009.

Almost two thirds of the school building was destroyed in the blaze, which was tackled by up to 80 firefighters from South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Humberside at its height.

Mr Price, business unit manager a Wates Construction, said the beginning of building work was a momentous occasion and added: “It’s been a real pleasure to work with both the college and the council to reach this important milestone.

“Now it’s time for the hard work of building to begin.

“The spotlight is firmly on us and Doncaster as this project sets the standard for future major school developments and we look forward to continuing to raise the bar throughout the build programme.”

Planning permission for the new school building in Ryecroft Road was granted by members of Doncaster Council six weeks ago.

The modern development includes sports pitches, access roads and landscaping.

Wates Construction, which won the contract to carry out the building work, has previously created other schools and colleges including North Liverpool Academy, East Surrey College and John Moores University.