Mayor Helps Harrold Lower School Say Goodbye to Temporary Classrooms

19 Sep 2014

Harrold Lower School Temporary Classrooms Alongside Newly-Built Permanent Replacement — This photo, taken before the start of the autumn term, shows Harrold Lower School's temporary classrooms, with the newly-built permanent replacement alongside

Mayor Dave Hodgson visited Harrold Lower School recently to see the brand new permanent classrooms which have been constructed as part of the programme to abolish temporary classrooms across all Bedford Borough schools.

Earlier this year, Bedford Borough Council published its £48 million School Capital Investment Plan, which will see the Council:

replace temporary classrooms and mobiles with permanent buildings
get rid of makeshift temporary classrooms
ensure that we have enough school places for the future
make sure all school buildings are fit to learn in.

Commenting, Mayor Dave Hodgson said: "It's great to see the first results of our ongoing plan which will see high quality, permanent classrooms replace all temporary portacabins in our local schools. This major programme of improvements for local schools is delivering buildings and facilities fit for current and future generations of students. The programme is a key feature of our commitment to support schools to continue to drive up standards on behalf of all local children and young people."

Education Portfolio Holder Cllr Henry Vann added: "This is an important stage in our ambitious programme to get rid of the makeshift temporary classrooms of the past and deliver sufficient, high-quality spaces for children and young people to learn in.

"Bedford is one of the best places in the country to go to lower or primary school with 90% of our schools overall ranked as good or outstanding by Ofsted. Our teachers, pupils and the communities need buildings that are fit to learn and teach in and this is what we are delivering."

Bedford Borough Council has already invested heavily to ensure the creation of excellent teaching and learning space. This has included the construction and opening of three new primary schools, each with room for 420 pupils, and the expansion and upgrading of many others. The Council invested £26 million in the last financial year alone in improving and maintaining school facilities.

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