New school building contracts to be awarded

Contracts worth almost £9 million are set to be awarded this week for construction work on two schools in Liverpool.

It will see a new £7 million home for Palmerston School on the site of the current Aigburth High on Minehead Road with Aigburth High moving to a brand new building on Childwall Abbey Road in Childwall.

The new Palmerston School will be a single storey building and will accommodate boys and girls aged 11-19 years with severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple needs, and will be completed by April 2017. It will include a sports and dining hall plus a new hydrotherapy and splash pool together with sensory learning spaces.

Also, St Margaret’s Church of England Academy in Aigburth is to get a new £2 million teaching block, which will house a food technology lab and drama hall/theatre opening in time for the start of the new academic year in September 2016.

Assistant Mayor and cabinet member for education, Councillor Nick Small, said: “The current Palmerston School is past its sell-by date and although the teaching is excellent the staff and pupils are hampered by the lack of outdoor space and modern learning facilities.

“The work at St Margaret’s will enable them to extend their range of academic and vocational courses, giving students more choice in the subjects they can study.

Palmerston School principal Lis Burbidge said: “The staff and pupils are delighted about the prospect of the new school and are already planning how we will use the exciting new rooms and outdoor space.”

Principal at St Margaret’s Academy, Stephen Brierley, said: “We are thrilled and deeply grateful for the investment that will be taking place in our buildings over the next few months.

“In its many years of existence, St Margaret’s has never had any facilities to teach practical food lessons – but thanks to the generosity of the Mayor’s fund, future generations of students will be able to learn these vital skills practically, and on-site.

“Our new drama space will provide an excellent opportunity for budding actors and actresses to learn their craft too.

“The entire school community is very much looking forward to the new facilities that are so generously being provided for us”.