School building contracts worth £9m to be awarded in Liverpool

Contracts worth close to £9m are set to be awarded for construction projects on two Liverpool schools.

Building firm Kier Construction has been chosen to deliver a new £7m base for Palmerston School on Minehead Road, where Aigburth High is currently located. As part of the project, Aigburth High will relocate to a new site on Childwall Abbey Road in Childwall next month.

Palmerston School’s current home on Beaconsfield Road in Woolton does not have suitable external recreation facilities. Due for completion by April 2017, the new single-storey building will include a sports and dining hall, in addition to a hydrotherapy splash pool and sensory learning areas.

Elsewhere, St Margaret’s Church of England Academy is getting a new £2m teaching block, complete with a food tech lab and drama hall, in time for the start of the new academic year in September.

John O’Callaghan, the managing director of Kier Construction’s operations in the North, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen for this important project to improve Palmerston and St Margaret’s schools.

“This will be the fourth scheme we’ve delivered through the Liverpool School Improvement Programme and we look forward to continuing our collaborative relationship with Liverpool City Council.”

Both projects form part of Mayor Joe Anderson’s Liverpool School Investment Programme, through which £169m is being ploughed into 17 new and refurbished schools across the city.

Cllr. Nick Small, the Assistant Mayor and cabinet member for education, said: “The current Palmerston School is past its sell-by date and although the teaching is excellent the staff and pupils are hampered by the lack of outdoor space and modern learning facilities.

“The work at St Margaret’s will enable them to extend their range of academic and vocational courses, giving students more choice in the subjects they can study.”

He added: “We will be working closely with the construction firm to make sure that as much of the sub-contracting work as possible is spent locally to benefit firms in the City Region.”

Kier has estimated that 85% of the spend will be in Liverpool and another 10% across Merseyside.

Palmerston School’s principal, Lis Burbidge, commented: “The staff and pupils are delighted about the prospect of the new school and are already planning how we will use the exciting new rooms and outdoor space.”

Meanwhile, the principal at St Margaret’s Academy, Stephen Brierley, said he is “thrilled and deeply grateful” for the investment.

He continued: “In its many years of existence, St Margaret’s has never had any facilities to teach practical food lessons – but thanks to the generosity of the Mayor’s fund, future generations of students will be able to learn these vital skills practically, and on-site.

“Our new drama space will provide an excellent opportunity for budding actors and actresses to learn their craft too.”

Stephen added: “The entire school community is very much looking forward to the new facilities that are so generously being provided for us.”