Heath building is under way at last
WORK has started on a major building project at The Heath School in Runcorn after 10 years of planning and funding wrangling.
Lauren Galligan, head girl, had the honour of cutting the turf at a ceremony attended by Halton MP Derek Twigg.
A school spokeswoman said the building will provide state-of-the-art classrooms, featuring climate control as standard.
It will also have a sports and community centre, activity hall, dance and drama studios and cafe.
External features include tennis courts, multi-use games areas, an amphitheatre and dining terrace.
The building will house a sixth form and specialist laboratories, workshops and classrooms ‘befitting a 21st century school’, the spokeswoman said.
The move comes after a decade of false starts and setbacks.
The school was first earmarked for a rebuild under Labour’s Building Schools For The Future programme, which was ditched by the Coalition Government after 2010.
The project was reinstated after campaigning by executive head teacher Heather Mullaney, including a petition signed by 500 parents.
Mr Twigg also provided support by pressing ministers on the school’s behalf.
However, the project stumbled again when the Health And Safety Executive asked the Secretary Of State to call in the plans because of concerns over the proposed pupil capacity and the planned site’s proximity to the Runcorn chemical works in the event of a major hazard.
Redrafted plans with student numbers limited to 1,250 and a relocated plot further from the risk zone were approved this year.
Jamie Jardine, The Heath’s principal, said: “This is a very exciting development for The Heath School.
“It has been a long journey to get to this stage but we are looking forward to pressing ahead now and making sure that the envi- ronment for our students matches the outstanding teaching and learning which takes place here every day.”