Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Millions awarded to schools for state of the art rebuilds
City secondary reveals plan for new £15m site
A city school is set to get a cut of tens of millions of pounds for state-of-the-art rebuilds and refurbishment.
St Anselm’s Catholic Secondary is one of nine in Kent to be awarded the funding following bids to the Department of Education (DFE) for the works. The ambitious schemes, says the government, will transform the ageing schools and ensure they are “fit for the future”. The DFE says all the new buildings - including classrooms, sports halls, science blocks, dining rooms and other facilities will be designed to the highest energy efficient standards. Leaders at St Anselm’s have a vision for a £15 million new building.
Built in the early 1960s, the site is now “past its sell by date”, according to executive principal Mike Walters.
“The fabric is reasonably secure but it’s largely what’s underneath like the water, heating and electrics which are defunct,” he told the Gazette. “It’s hard to see how you could fix it without a new building, which would cost around £15 million.
“Of course, many of us who have been here a while have an affection for the old building but we are also excited at the prospect of getting a new school, which would be fabulous. “But we don’t know yet if that is what will happen as surveyors will make that assessment on whether they will work with
what we already have or decide a new build is what’s needed.” Along with St Anselm’s, the DFE announced the latest Kent schools set to benefit are Birchington Primary School, Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School in Ramsgate, Rosherville Primary Academy and Saint George’s School, both in Gravesend, The Howard Academy Trust in Medway, St Simon Stock in Maidstone, The Lenham School, and Water Meadows Primary School at Hersden.
The bids follow successful Kent funding awards in July to Pilgrims Way Primary School in Canterbury, the Orchards Academy in Swanley, St Mary’s Primary
School in Gillingham and Wrotham Secondary School. Millions of pounds is also expected to be awarded to Water Meadows Primary School in Hersden, which is expanding to meet the huge housebuilding in the area.
Built in the early 1960s and originally known as Hersden Primary School, it is now managed by the Stour Academy Trust which predicts pupils numbers to rise from the current 150 to 420 over the next 10 years. Bosses say they are “thrilled” the school has been selected for funding from the Dfe’s “school rebuilding programme”. The works will include the construction of new classrooms, a sports hall and dining room, replacing old facilities. They will be more energy efficient and net-zero in operation, providing “a modern and sustainable education environment for our pupils”, they add.
The trust says its plans for the expansion of the school are already commissioned and it is now waiting on contact from the DFE for further information and timescales.
Bosses at Lenham School near Maidstone say its rebuild project will be of significant benefit to pupils, staff and visitors. They were told of the funding by Faversham and Mid Kent Helen Whatley MP, who visited the school last month to confirm the announcement. Writing on the Valley Invicta Academies Trust website, CEO Julie Derrick describes the news as “the best Christmas present we could have hoped for,” adding: “We are absolutely thrilled”.
‘It’s hard to see how you could fix it without a new building...’