New start in a brand new school

Mar 3 2009 The Journal

THESE pupils were more excited than most about going to school yesterday.

Children and staff at West Jesmond Primary, Newcastle, have moved into their new state-of-the-art building after 13 months of lessons elsewhere.

Their 100-year-old school was demolished in Tankerville Terrace, Jesmond, to make way for the new building, which marks the final stage in the first phase of the city’s £180m Building Schools for the Future project.

The move means pupils are back “home” after 13 months of lessons at nearby Castle Dene, Gosforth.

Their new school has cutting-edge facilities including a music studio, outdoor play area and wireless computer technology throughout.

Around 7,500 students from across the city are now benefiting from schools which have been totally rebuilt, refurbished or modernised from top to bottom.

Work has already been completed at Thomas Bewick School, Walbottle Campus, Kenton College and Canning Street, Walkergate and Stocksfield Avenue primary schools, as well as the first phase of an ongoing refurbishment of Benfield School. Attention will now switch to phase two of the project – currently at the design stage – where a further 6,395 students from across the city will see their schools transformed.