School handover to start in June

THE handover of new primary schools built by Carillion for Barnsley Council gets underway next month.

Wombwell Park Street, Darfield Valley and High View primaries will be handed over to the council on Monday, 19 June, with two further schools, Littleworth Grange and Kings Oak by the end of the summer term.

These new primary schools form phase one of Barnsley's schools private finance initiative. Overall, the initiative comprises three phases and it will deliver 13 new primary schools, providing state-of-the-art learning facilities. A total of 3,600 pupils and staff will benefit from the enhanced learning environments.

Phase two of the initiative comprises three primary schools that will be handed over by Carillion next February (2007) at half-term: Dearne Lacewood, Hoyland Common and Penistone Springvale.

Details of commencement ceremonies to mark the start of work on the phase three schools, Darton, Longcar, Sandhill, Grove Street and Cudworth Pontefract Road, will be announced shortly.

A spokesperson for Carillion said: "This positive approach to the first phase of this long-term partnership bodes extremely well for the future. We look forward to the successful delivery of the remainder of the programme and the realisation of Barnsley's educational transformation agenda."

Cabinet spokesperson for Education, Cllr Linda Burgess, commented: "This is really great news and comes after much hard work by both the council and schools concerned. I am pleased that the initiative is coming to fruition with the imminent delivery of the first primary schools."

The contract to build Barnsley's private finance initiative schools was awarded in May last year to Mowlem plc, who were recently acquired by Carillion.

ENDS

Issued by Kevin Smith, Press Office, Tel: (01226) 773442
Email: kevinsmith@barnsley.gov.uk