£150 million transformation of St Helens schools moves forward » Education » 24dash.com

A £150 million scheme to create 21st century Learning Campuses has moved a step closer for St.Helens after the council's Executive approved the submission of plans to  the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

The Government’s Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme has allocated more than £150-million to transform the Borough’s high schools.

It is the biggest ever investment programme to be managed by the Council, and will be completed over a number of years.  Officers were required to submit detailed documentation and investment plans for approval by the end of last week.

The council is planning a wide consultation on the proposals during the summer.

Current proposals include:

• The creation of a £20-million Catholic Learning Campus  for the Community on the site of St Cuthberts Catholic Community College for Business and Enterprise, to replace two existing Catholic High Schools at St Cuthberts and St Augustines.
• The Campus will cater for 1350 young people aged 11 - 16.
• A £16.5 million scheme to remodel De La Salle School with partial new build catering  for 1200 young people aged 11 - 16.
• £16 million to rebuild and partly  remodel Haydock Sports College catering for 1000 young people aged 11 - 16.
• A £5 million project to re build Penkford Technology school for 55 young people.
• A £22.5 million scheme to rebuild and remodel Rainford High Technology College catering for 1200 young people plus  post-16 provision.
• £13 million for part new build and part refurbishment of Rainhill High Media  Arts College catering for 1200 young people with post-16 provision for potentially 250.
• In addition a scheme of £17-million is proposed for part new build and part refurbishment of Sutton High Sports College catering for 1200 young people plus post-16 provision.
• £5 million for a purpose built specialist facility at Mill Green Learning Campus for 45 young people 14-19 with complex needs.

In addition to the above investment programme, Cowley Language College is being re-built ahead of the BSF programme and funding is in place to ensure a build that matches what would have been achieved if the school was within the BSF programme.

Work on site began in October 2007, and the newly built 11-16 building catering for 1200 pupils will open in September 2009.

Cowley's 6th form centre catering for 300 students will be a combination of remodelling and refurbishment of part of the existing building. This will be complete by September 2010.

Current proposals are also on the table to create  a new build Academy to  replace St. Aelred’s Catholic Technology College and Newton High.

Currently the scheme is at the Feasibility Stage and the Sponsors, the CE Diocese, the school, RC Archdiocese and Liverpool Hope University, have completed a consultation on the proposal.  The Academy would cater for 1350 young people plus 300 post-16 students.

The first schools scheduled for building work to start  under BSF will be Rainford and De La Salle; construction will start in 2010, with plans to complete the build by 2012.  This will be  followed in successive phases by the remaining schools, starting with  Haydock in 2012.

It is hoped that by 2015 work on all the schools will have been completed.

There are plans for a further £16 million investment in ICT for the whope programme including Cowley and the proposed new Academy.

Susan Richardson, Director for Children and Young People’s Services said: "This is a tremendous investment into the Borough's schools and into local communities, which will support the ongoing regeneration and modernisation of St Helens.

"This is however not just about buildings and facilities - critical to the success of the whole programme will be the transformation of teaching and learning in high schools, and the aim is to lift the achievement of our young people to another level in future years.

"Officers are working hard to deliver one of the most ambitious and exciting projects the Borough will ever see.”