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24.11.11 - Local MP Declares Success of School Development

Diana Johnson MP visited the new Kingswood College of Arts last week to see the developments being made to the site.

The school is currently undergoing a huge regeneration project as part of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. The project is due for completion in January 2013, along with six other schools in the second phase of the development.

The programme is designed to completely rejuvenate education in Hull, providing schools with the facilities to offer first-class teaching to pupils and displaying some of the best educational resources in the country.

The developments come after the BSF programme gained funding to allocate £400m to the city's schools. The initiative is headed by Hull Esteem Consortium, the partnership compromising of Morgan Sindall Investments, Hull-based Sewell Group and Robertsons Capital.

Contract Manager for Morgan Sindall, Steve Parks showed Ms Johnson around the site: "This was a fresh opportunity to show how well development is progressing at the school. The site itself is very impressive and getting such a good reaction to the work from a local MP was very positive for everyone involved."

The Hull MP appeared to be delighted at how fast the developments are taking place, and was impressed with the scale of the project.

Diana Johnson MP, said: "It's great to see that the BSF programme is achieving such exciting change at Kingswood and other Hull schools under development.

"The transformation that the BSF is making possible in Hull's schools is going to be a phenomenal long-term asset to the city. Raising standards in our schools is central to the development of the city as a whole. We need our young people to have the skills and qualifications needed for the job opportunities of the future."

The developments due for completion at the school by the end of this month include:

• Complete structural steel erection including precast flooring and lift shafts
• External cladding support work
• Roof works
• Installation of windows and walls

Kingswood College of Arts follows the opening of Archbishop Sentamu Academy and Winifred Holtby and Tweendykes Schools, which opened in September this year.

Kingswood will be able to offer brand new facilities to its pupils with the opening of the site, including a business conference zone, fitness and activity areas, a crèche and library.

Building work on the site only began in May this year, but the changes it will bring to the school are already becoming apparent. The school will have a strong focus on the arts, housing a theatre space available for school and community productions.

Sam Whitaker, general manager at Esteem, said: "The community spirit that the developments are creating is paying off already. Local stakeholders are taking a real interest in what is going on here, seen in the topping out ceremony at Thomas Ferens recently.

"Esteem has been really impressed during all the visits that have been made to the schools so far, and to have that enthusiasm shared by our local MP acts as a large aspect of the community feedback we are looking for."

Diana Johnson's visit to Kingswood College of Arts took place as part of a tour of Hull schools in Ms Johnson's constituency. Previous to the visit she attended the topping out ceremony at the Thomas Ferens Academy, situated on the Princess Elizabeth Playing Fields.