New school is a class act for town’s future

CELEBRATION DAY LAUNCHES £12MILLION SITE

Seaham High School’s new £12million campus has been officially opened.

The school began to welcome students back in September 2016, but the celebration of its new site was held this week as it welcomed its long-time champion, the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham, Sue Snowdon, to lead the honours.

The former teacher and magistrate toured lessons, took a walk around the grounds and enjoyed a school dinner before she unveiled a plaque at a ceremony, with ice creams served to pupils and games running through the day.

Theschool-builtaspart of a £100million project to replace 12 North East schools - stands in Station Road, on the site of Seaham Colliery. The old site on Burnhall Drive is now earmarked for new houses.

The move saw the school change its name and uniform, with the new complex replacing a 51-year-old crumbling and decaying school, where 11 classroom had been con-

Hi h ha students, which is expected to rise to 1,200 by 2020.

It is fitted out with top-class art and technology workshops, a four-court sport hall, a dance studio with a sprung floor and two multi-use games areas.

Headteacher David Shield said: “While it’s the people inside the building that make our school, it does make a huge difference that our building isn’t falling around us, so we are able to put all our efforts into the quality of education we are delivering to o e.

“The tu n c s newnameandtheywanted to pay respect to the heritage of the site because it is on the old colliery.

“They also wanted it to be called Seaham High to show the direction they are going and I’m reall proud the anted to

ryo ”

Mrs Snowdon joined the school as it put on a production of We Will Rock You and also when it marked the 100th anniversary of the truce held during the First World War, when British and German troops came out of their trenches to play football, using the Burnhall Drive’s living history trench instalment for the occasion.

Mr Shield added: “We wanted to make sure we had the right person to open the site and the Lord Lieutenant has been a regular supporter of the school and we really thought there was no one better.”

Also in attendance for the unveiling was High Sheriff of Durham Stephen Cronin, John Lethbridge, chairman of Durham County Council and the Mayor of Durham, the council’s chief executive Terry Collins, Mayor of Seaham Barbara Allen and the school’s chairman of governors David Wilkinson.

Deputy head Geoff Lumsdon has been appointed as the school’s new headteacher and will take th l f M

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