Following consultation and the recent approval of plans to expand Beaconside Church of England Primary School, Westmorland and Furness Council have confirmed the design and build contract has been awarded.
Cumbria based Top Notch Contractors and Architects Plus will begin by carrying out a feasibility study on the project, which will allow the number of children educated at Beaconside to increase over time, including the provision of 14 new resource provision (RP) places for children in Key Stage 2. RP school places provide additional support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to make progress in their learning and take part in mainstream school life.
The project will be paid for using Section 106 funding provided to the council by housing developers. They provide these funds to ensure sufficient school places are available for growing communities as new housing is built.
Cllr Peter Thornton, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Assets, said:
“Every year we deliver almost £60 million worth of investment in our communities. Where we can, we try to keep our suppliers local, so that this spending can further benefit our area. Out of our 72 current suppliers, 82% are small to medium sized enterprises and 41% of spend is with SMEs based in Cumbria, so it’s great to see this approach continuing with the Beaconside School project.”
Cllr Sue Sanderson, Westmorland and Furness Council’s Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills, said:
“This project will bring so many benefits to the local area, both financial and for education.
“We need to ensure there is sufficient, local provision for school places for our young people and to keep improving our facilities. This can only happen through close working with multiple partners to deliver positive projects like this one.”
Press release issued to the media Sunday 2 June 2024.