A MAJOR milestone has been reached in a scheme to double the size of Castle Hill Primary School (Rooksdown Campus), celebrated by the fixing of a ‘golden’ bolt to the structure.

Hampshire County Council’s education chief Councillor Stephen Reid joined headteacher, John Martin and others on site to affix the bolt to mark completion of the new school building’s structural frame.

More than £3.5 million is being invested by the county council in the expansion which will eventually result in the school catering for 420 pupils.

Cllr Reid said: “Our priority is to be able to offer places at good quality local schools for every Hampshire child.

“I am really pleased to see the progress being made at Castle Hill to ensure that new children moving into the area will have the opportunity to go to school near to where they live.”

“This scheme is part of our programme to provide 17,500 new places at Hampshire schools by 2021, with a total planned investment of around £140 million.

“I am very pleased that the county council is on track to meet the rising demand for extra school places with our sustainable, value-for-money building programme.”

The new building will see an eight classroom extension at the school which will increase the school’s capacity to a two-form entry school.

This means that the school will be able to accept 60 new pupils in reception year (age four – five), thereby increasing the number of primary school places at the school to 420, in response to local need for places resulting from new housing developments in the area.

Castle Hill Primary School operates over two sites – Greenbank and Rooksdown with the extension being made to the Rooksdown Campus. In addition to the eight classrooms, which include a space for music and drama, the new building will comprise two group working rooms, staff offices and toilet facilities.

Cllr Reid added: “Investing in quality school buildings that are built to be sustainable and provide a motivational environment for learning is something that the county council is proud of.

“Having a significant in-house team of designers, who specialise in school buildings and have years of experience, means we are able to provide top quality, functional facilities that are also aesthetically pleasing and energy efficient.”

Construction, which began this summer by the main contractor Osborne, is scheduled to be completed during summer 2019, ready for the start of the 2019/20 academic year in September.