Leighton school expansion scheme is progressing well

A topping-out ceremony took place on Friday (February 3) at the school in Church Square, Leighton Buzzard.

The event was a way of officially celebrating building work on the new classroom block at the school reaching its highest stage.

It is the latest stage in a scheme to expand the school by 120 places, meaning that it will be able to accommodate 600 pupils when work is completed.

Year 8 pupils Alfie, Mackenzie, Annabelle and Grace were the first children from the school allowed on to the building site since work began when they attended the ceremony.

They were joined by Central Bedfordshire Council Chairman Cllr David Bowater, and fellow Leighton Buzzard councillors Cllr Ray Berry, Cllr Amanda Dodwell and Cllr Brian Spurr, staff, governors, representatives from Kier and officers from the council for the event.

Councillor Steven Dixon, Central Bedfordshire Council’s Executive Member for Education and Skills, was among those attending the ceremony.

He said: “Due to the compact nature of the school site, this has been a much more challenging expansion scheme than some of the others which the council has been involved in. So it’s great that we have reached this stage of the build.

“I have been impressed with the focus and support throughout this project by council officers, Kier and particularly Anne Thompson, school staff and governors.

“I look forward to returning in the coming months to see the final building.”

Anne Thompson, headteacher at the school, said: “It is great to see the building emerging into its environment; we are looking forward to the new opportunities that it will offer our pupils.”

The expansion scheme is part of the council’s ongoing commitment to provide more than 6,500 new school places over a five-year period to 2017.

> For more information, visit www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/school/organisation/programme.aspx