St Leonard’s Catholic School has been named as one of the schools prioritised for the School Rebuilding Programme. The Department for Education will start a project to replace or refurbish one or more buildings at the school, as appropriate, setting the school up for high educational standards for all its pupils for decades to come.
The new buildings will be energy efficient with high sustainability standards as well as the excellent facilities operating at net zero. Transforming the learning environment and supporting teachers will help deliver high-quality education which will in turn allow the pupils to gain the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need to succeed.
We at Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust and St Leonard’s Catholic School will work with the Department for Education to agree the educational design of the project and the timeframe for delivery. Over the course of the work St Leonard’s will continue to provide the highest level of education to their pupils despite the changes being made to the schools infrastructure.
Mr Chris Hamill, Headteacher at St Leonard’s Catholic School, Durham said: “The school is very excited to be prioritised for the Government’s flagship School Rebuilding Programme. We can’t wait to see the positive changes and how it will help improve the performance of the staff as well as the pupils.”
Across the School Rebuilding Programme, the rebuilds and refurbishments will create modern education environments, providing new facilities from classrooms and science labs, to sports halls and dining rooms.
The new school buildings will also be net-zero carbon in operation, helping meet the government’s net zero target.
The programme is due to deliver 500 rebuilding projects over the next decade, which will benefit tens of thousands of pupils over their lifetime.
Mr Nick Hurn, OBE, CEO of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust said: “The new provision and accommodation that will be provided by the School Rebuilding Programme for the children, staff and communities of St Leonards and St Josephs Junior school in Birtley, as a result of this investment will be transformational.
St Leonard’s Catholic School is part of an announcement of 61 new projects, including primary, secondary and special schools, levelling up opportunities across the entire country.
James Cleverly, Education Secretary said: “Our School Rebuilding Programme is already making a difference to the lives of pupils and their teachers. It is creating greener school sites that are fit for the future and that local communities can be proud of. We know how important it is to have high-quality school facilities. That is why we continue to invest billions in our rebuilding programme.”
The commitment to rebuild and refurbish the schools most in need is part of Government’s wider Schools White Paper commitments, to ensure that by 2030 every child will be taught a broad and ambitious curriculum, with access to high-quality extra-curricular provision, in a school with high expectations and strong standards of behaviour.
ABOUT BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust supports and partners with five secondary schools, one middle school, forty-one Primary and one first school in the west of our Diocese.
Our designated schools are located in four different Local Authorities: Northumberland, Gateshead, Sunderland and Durham. Within our Trust we have a Centre For Teaching, a National Computing Hub, a National MFL Hub and a national accredited NPQ (National Professional Qualification for Headship and Leadership) provider.
If you would like to know more please visit: bwcet.com