GRANGEFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL EXPANSION UNDERWAY
A £2.5 million investment by Gloucestershire County Council will enable the school to increase capacity from a one form entry primary to a two form entry (2FE) by September 2017, with local building contractor Speller Metcalfe responsible for delivery of the scheme.
The result will be the addition of a new eight classroom building for Years 3-6, as well as increasing the size of the main hall to provide additional activity space and a new kitchen to meet the demands of increased pupil numbers.
Karen Lewis, headteacher at Grangefield Primary School said: “We’re really excited to see this next stage of development and looking forwarded to be able to give more children the opportunity to come to Grangefield from next September.”
Following two earlier extensions the new classroom building will see the completion of development plans for the school to reach 2FE status, with the original school building becoming a dedicated infant’s block.
Cllr Paul McLain, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “This is fantastic news for pupils, parents and staff of Grangefield Primary School, who will all benefit from these new facilities.
“It’s vital there are enough school places for families in the area and these changes will help the school continue to play an important part in the local community.”
Well known for their contribution to some of the County’s best received and award-winning projects, contractor Speller Metcalfe’s joint owner Andy Metcalfe explained how the scheme would benefit the local area even before the doors open next September:
“To have a fantastic new classroom building is not only beneficial to the school and local families, but will create employment opportunities for our supply chain within Gloucestershire,” said Andy.
“As a local company we are focused on reinvesting in the local economy to ensure we can deliver the best buildings possible through development of skills, using new and innovative construction methods and creating sustainable, lower impact projects.”
The project team includes Speller Metcalfe, Astom GBC Consultancy and Gloucestershire County Council, with construction work completing in September 2017.