School marks start of £23mscheme to transform learning

WORK will start next week on a 23m improvement programme set to transform learning opportunities at a Leeds school.

Today, a sod cutting ceremony will mark the start of the work at Farnley Park Maths & Computing College, which will be carried out as part of a 260m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.

Young people from the college will join Chris Edwards, the chief executive of Education Leeds, Coun Judith Blake, deputy leader of Leeds City Council and representatives from Interserve, the company leading the building work, to carry out the first dig on the new access road and entrance to the college.

The BSF investment, secured before the coalition Government scrapped the programme, will transform Farnley Park into a school offering modern facilities open learning areas, office space, a new school entrance, sports facilities including a hydrotherapy pool, activity studios, dining hall and drama facilities.

There will also be purpose-built facilities which will allow up to 30 pupils from the West Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre (SILC) to access learning in a mainstream setting.

Coun Judith Blake, deputy leader of Leeds City Council with responsibility for children’s services, said: “Young people, staff and the local community will all benefit from this investment which will bring some of the best possible facilities and equipment to this part of Leeds.”

Chris Edwards, chief executive of Education Leeds, said: “The new and refurbished buildings will give a huge boost to the school and local area and will be something that everyone in New Farnley can be proud of.”

The final completion date for the project is July 2012 but facilities will be available for use as they are finished from February 2012.

Once complete, a total of 260m will be invested in rebuilding or refurbishing 13 secondary schools as part of the BSF programme in Leeds.

Allerton High, Pudsey Grangefield, Rodillian, Cockburn, Temple Moor, Allerton Grange High, Swallow Hill, Crawshaw, Farnley Park, Priesthorpe, Corpus Christi, Mount St Mary’s and Parklands Girls’ High will all benefit from the investment once the project is completed.