New primary school starting to take shape

The main building at a new £3 million Shropshire primary school is starting to take shape as this picture shows.

Contractors started work on the timber-framed building at the new Bishop Hooper Primary School site in Ashford

Carbonell, near Ludlow, earlier this month. And the building, which will cater for up to 120 pupils when the school opens later this year, is already starting to dominate the landscape.

It is expected the work on the building, which is being carried out by Stourport-based firm Thomas Vale Construction, will take between six and eight weeks to complete.

The school, which will replace existing facilities in neighbouring Caynham, is expected to open in October.

It will include four classrooms, an amphitheatre for outdoor drama, a grass sports pitch, an all-weather games area and a wildflower meadow and orchard.

Eco-friendly facilities will include a biomass boiler with near zero carbon emissions which will provide a reliable source of heat, natural ventilation and a green roof.

The new school had been the subject of a bitter dispute between villagers in Ashford Carbonell, with those in favour claiming a new school was desperately needed while opponents claimed there were no children living in the village who would use the school.

The existing school in Caynham, formed by the merger of Ashford Carbonell and Caynham primary schools in September 2009, currently has 73 pupils on the roll.

Bob Tilt, chairman of Ashford Carbonell Parish Council, said: "The new building is certainly starting to take shape and we are very pleased with it.

"There will still be lots of ground and interior work to do once the building is finished, but we understand despite the extreme weather over Christmas, the builders have since clawed back two days of their schedule, which is good news."