Cash boost unites school's two sites

A DREAM to unite a Bolton primary school -- which is split by a busy main road -- is to be realised thanks to a half-million pound Government windfall.

For staff and governors at Horwich's Chorley New Road Primary the announcement of the cash boost from the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) to the tune of £451,000 marks a successful end to a six-year battle to have the school on one site.

Currently the 380 place primary is cut in two by Chorley New Road. In fact the school actually lies in two different wards -- one side in Horwich, the other in Blackrod.

For years staff and pupils have been forced to work from the two separate buildings regularly making the crossing from one side to the other.

But now all that will change because the DfEE money will enable the school create new classrooms and a unified school on the south side of Chorley New Road.

The cash comes from the DfEE's Targeted Capital Fund in which local authorities were given the opportunity to bid for a share in a total of £106m.

The plans to merge the two sites was Bolton Local Education Authority's only bid for funds.

Chorley New Road acting headteacher Kath Jones said everyone at the school was delighted by the announcement.

She added: "In 1995 we had a full staff, governors and parents meeting where we set out our mission statement for the school.

"Top of the list at that time was to merge the two sites and it has remained at the top ever since.

"The improvements the merger will make to the school are obvious. It will mean we no longer have to risk crossing the busy road. We will all be on one side."

The money will help create a new nursery and give the school the chance to replace some of its oldest classrooms which otherwise would have cost £100,000 to repair.

And to compliment the cash boost Chorley New Road's board of governors have added an extra £20,000 to the pot to make the project even better.

Work will now start on the detailed planning of the new buildings and changes to the existing ones. Council executive member for Education, Cllr Linda Thomas said: "This is first rate news for the school and the local community. Yet another of our schools is to be modernised with support from the Government and another set of problems will be solved.

"I'm particularly pleased that the out of date nursery accommodation, in which staff have worked hard to get good results, will now be replaced."

While Mrs Jones said she was unsure what would become of the part of the school that would no longer be used.

But added that if all went according to plan the new school should open on the one site in 18 months to two years time.