New £6 million
home for Millstead School
A NEW and expanded £6
million school for children with special needs is set to be built in
Liverpool.
Millstead School; rated 'outstanding' by education watchdog
Ofsted; caters for primary aged pupils with profound and multiple
learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and autism. It
will be able to accommodate 105 youngsters, up from its current roll
number of 70.
It will move from its tired and outgrown existing building in the
grounds of Olive Mount Hospital on Old Mill Lane in Wavertree to the
former City Learning Centre and Campion School site on Prince Edwin
Street in Everton.
The new building; which is due to open in September 2014; will
include a hydrotherapy pool and rooms where physiotherapy and
sensory support will be offered to support pupils from not just
Liverpool, but also the wider City Region.
Councillor Jane Corbett, Cabinet member for education, said:-
It's vital our children with the most complex needs get the best
possible education.
Millstead is already doing amazing work with young people and this
was reflected in their recent Ofsted inspection. This new
building will enable them to continue their teaching in much
improved surroundings with better classrooms and a proper outdoor
space."
It forms part of the Liverpool School Investment Programme, in which
Mayor Joe Anderson has pledged to deliver at least 12 new schools.
Headteacher Michelle Beard said:- "We are all really excited
at the prospect of moving into a brand new building. The new
facilities will be absolutely fantastic and enable us to provide the
best possible experiences for our pupils."
Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said:-
"This is a worthwhile investment in a much needed new facility
for pupils at Millstead."
The City Council is expanding the number of special school places to
cope with increased demand for places. Elsewhere in the City, Palmerston is getting a four classroom extension to provide a
post 16 centre and enable it to take on a further 48 pupils, while
an extra 6 classrooms are being built at Abbot's Lea to support
more youngsters with autism.
The Mayor's Cabinet will be asked to approve the award of the
construction contract to Willmott Dixon on Friday, 5 July 2013.
They have been set a target of making sure that 60% of local spend
and employment is within Liverpool, and 70% from across the City
Region.
EDEN AVENUE,
SOUTHPORT, FATAL FIRE
MERSEYSIDE Police has
confirmed that the identities of the 2 men who died following a
house fire in Eden Avenue, Southport in the early hours of Monday, 1
July 2013. Provisional post mortem results for Thomas Anthony
Mawdsley, 48, of Eden Avenue and Stephen McDonald, 56, of Eden
Avenue, Southport, have indicated that both men died as a
consequence of smoke inhalation. A detailed forensic examination has
been carried out at the address and a detailed investigation into
the exact cause of the fire is ongoing. As a result of prior Police
contact, the IPCC has been notified. A 23 year old man from
Southport who was arrested on Monday evening in relation to the
investigation has been bailed pending further enquiries.
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GMB
CALLS ON PRIME MINISTER TO SCRAP MARRIED COUPLES TAX RELIEF PLAN
IF the government can
afford an irrelevant tax break it should concede that the money
would be better spent on the health and education of our children
through introducing free school meals for all primary children says
GMB In response to government leaks that the Prime Minister intends
to introduce a £150 tax break for the UK's 7.5m married couples, GMB
called on him to use the money could be better spent on free school
meals for primary pupils.
GMB National Secretary Brian Strutton said:- "Giving married
couples an insignificant tax break would make no difference to
peoples decisions about getting married or staying together and
seems like a total irrelevance.
However, the same money would be enough to introduce free school
meals without the stigma of means testing for all primary school
children.
It is has been demonstrated in numerous reports that a good lunch
improves educational and behavioural performance yet GMB school
canteen staff tell GMB that many children whose families do not
qualify for free school meals are turning up with 'crisps and
chocolate' lunch boxes.
If the government can afford an irrelevant tax break it should
concede that the money would be better spent on the health and
education of our children through introducing free school meals for
all primary children."
Work underway on £17 million
Sports College
WORK is underway on a new
£17 million energy efficient school which will benefit thousands of
Liverpool children. The new Archbishop Beck Catholic Sports
College is being built by Willmott Dixon Construction on the former
Long Lane Council depot in Fazakerley.
The scheme is part of the Liverpool School Investment
Programme, devised as a rescue package following the scrapping of
Wave 6 of Liverpool's Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project.
It will be environmentally friendly, with a solar panel roof to
generate electriCity, and will also feature a sports hall with 6
courts, a 3G pitch, a theatre and recording and dance studios.
The Council is committed to making sure the school is 'Made in
Liverpool', and has set a target of 62% of the project
budget being spent with firms in Liverpool, and 72% within the City
Region. Mayor Joe Anderson said:- "We are determined to
make sure every child in the City gets the best possible start in
life, and a good education in good surroundings is crucial. As
Mayor, improving schools is a priority and we are also determined to
make sure the construction project benefits local firms as well, so
we maximise the benefits to the City."
Councillor Jane Corbett, Cabinet member for
education, said:- "This is brilliant news for current and
future generations of young people who will attend Archbishop Beck.
It is part of our ambition to make sure that new schools are closely
tied to the City's regeneration and help build stronger
communities."
Head Paul Dickinson said:- "We are absolutely delighted that
work has started on the school and our students are starting to see
their dreams become reality. We have held detailed discussions with
the whole community, including parents and pupils whose opinions we
have sought and acted upon in terms of the design. The whole
community of Archbishop Beck would like to thank Mayor Joe Anderson,
Councillor Jane Corbett and the City Council for all their efforts
in making our new school a reality. As a school who lost out on
Government funding at the last minute, we are immensely grateful for
everyone's determination to ensure our new school, with outstanding
new facilities for the students and community of Archbishop Beck, is
built."
The school is set to open in September 2014. |