Newcastle: New state-of-the-art building for Catholic school

St John Vianney Catholic Primary

St John Vianney Catholic Primary in West Denton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, is set to undergo a radical transformation, with work due to start on the construction of a new, state-of-the art school building, under the Department of Education's national School Rebuilding Programme.

The move follows the earlier identification of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the original school building, which meant staff and pupils were required to relocate to temporary accommodation on site.

The multi-million pound investment will support the long-term future of St John Vianney, which is part of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, and will provide high-quality facilities for all the children. A two form entry school, designed to accommodate 420 primary pupils and 52 nursery places, the new buildings will be eco-friendly and meet the latest environmental standards, using low carbon and renewable energy solutions such as solar roof panels and air source heat pumps. There will be no change to staff and pupil numbers as a result of the proposals.

The high-end facilities will include classrooms, group learning areas, school hall, library, chapel, additional SEN support spaces, meeting rooms and staff work areas. Attractive outside spaces will feature hard and soft play areas, a reconfigured forest school and comprehensive improvement of the school's playing fields, to promote accessibility and foster outdoor learning opportunities for all age groups.

Construction of the new building will be delivered by Galliford Try Construction Ltd on behalf of the DfE, with the work planned to ensure the school can continue to operate safely throughout the project.

Headteacher Allyson Thorpe welcomed the news. She said: "At St John Vianney Catholic Primary, we are all excited about the next stage of the redevelopment programme, which will provide us with a modern, eco-friendly, and sustainable school building to support generations of learners to come. It is a wonderful opportunity to have designed a new school with many bespoke and specialist learning areas which all serve to promote the ethos and learning environment we want for our children of the future." Mrs Thorpe added "The staff and children are looking forward to seeing the new school take shape over the coming months, it will be so exciting for the children to see the building and upgraded outside space take shape in front of their eyes."

For those wanting to find out more, a community drop-in evening will be taking place in the school's hall (temporary school building) on Wednesday 24th June. from 4 to 6.30pm

For more information about the project visit: www.stjohnvianneynewcastle.org/newbuild