Work begins on extending Burnley primary school

The expansion means that Briercliffe Primary School, on Delamere Road, will be able to accept 15 extra pupils in reception class, to offer the extra places that are required.

More places are necessary as a result of a rise in the birth rate coupled with the effect of significant housing development in the area.

The number of pupils at the school will increase from 45 to 60 in reception year from this September, which will grow the total number of places at the school from 315 to 420

over the coming years.

Lancashire County Council has appointed Conlon Construction to deliver the project, which is expected to be completed in May 2021.

The building extension was designed in-house by Lancashire County Council's Design and Construction team.

The project will provide three new classrooms and an additional school hall. An extended entrance hall will also be created. Some alterations will be made to the existing building.

Headteacher Rob Blanchet said: "I am delighted we are able to welcome more pupils to our school.

"There has been a high demand for places at the school in recent years. Hopefully this pressure on places will now be eased.

"We are sure the children will enjoy watching the new building take shape too."

County Coun. Phillippa Williamson, cabinet member for children, young people and schools, said: "We have to make sure that we have enough places to meet demand now and in the future.

"This particular school has been over-subscribed for a few years and the good news is that we'll now be able to provide an extra 15 permanent reception places from September 2020.

"It's great that we've been able to offer these extra places which will be a real boost for the local community."

Darren Lee, commercial director at Conlon Construction, said: “As a considerate contractor, we want to work on projects where we can really make a difference.

"Through the development at Briercliffe, we won’t only be ensuring that local families have a wider pool of choice when it comes to selecting a school for their children but will be ensuring that young people are actively encouraged to play a role in delivering this vital asset to the community.

“It’s an unusual time for construction. Whether sites remained open or closed during the lockdown, contractors must work even harder to support their workforce and wider supply chain to overcome the anxiety and other emotional issues associated with the pandemic.

"To tackle this, we are working with Lancashire Mind to ensure the team at Conlon, and the construction workforce across the region, are supported in what we know has been a testing time.

"What we hope is that, in doing so, we will see our workforce ease back into normality with a continued passion for what they do, which means our developments will continue to lead the way in terms of innovation and impact for their users.”