Improved facilities for Saintfield school

Improved facilities for Saintfield school

11 September 2013

PUPILS at Saintfield’s Academy Primary School will find themselves in much bigger surroundings next year.

Gone will be small, cramped classrooms and replacing them will be bigger rooms to meet their increasing education needs.

The Saintfield school, which has 410 pupils, including those who attend its nursery unit, has secured £500,000 from the South Eastern Education and Library Board to finance a major upgrade.

The cash will be used to extend six existing classrooms, while three toilet blocks and the entrance hall at the Listooder Road school are in line for major refurbishment.

And that’s not all. The front exterior of the school is to be landscaped to provide an even more welcoming entrance for pupils, staff and parents.

Academy principal, Mr. Stephen Moore, said tenders seeking expressions of interest from contractors to carry out the refurbishment programme are expected to be published shortly.

He said it’s hoped a contractor will be appointed early next year with the proposed work carried out in three phases and that all being well, everything will be shipshape for the pupils’ return to school next September.

Mr. Moore said the Saintfield school was promised a new-build six years ago before the Department of Education pulled out of the development.

“Over the past few years we have been lobbying the Department and the South Eastern Board to improve the accommodation we currently have,” he explained.

“We were also visited by Education Minister John O’Dowd who witnessed at first hand the cramped conditions in our classrooms and we were subsequently placed on a list of minor works schemes.”

Mr. Moore said confirmation £500,000 was to be invested in the school came in July this year and that once contractors have been appointed it will be a case of all systems go.

“The work is expected to take around 12 weeks to complete and everyone is relieved the funding has finally been made available. We are also delighted by the initial plans for the project,” he said.

“The work will further enhance the excellent facilities at Academy Primary and give the children currently being taught in these smaller rooms the classrooms they deserve.”

Mr. Moore revealed the development plan includes a new glass corridor to let more light into the entrance foyer and said everyone is “quite excited” about how the completed scheme will look.

He added: “Bigger classrooms are exactly what the school and the pupils need. Children now do much more interactive work during class and are up and about a lot more so we need more space.

“Having bigger classrooms will allow us to provide an even better learning environment for the children who attend Academy Primary.”