Work begins on £20.3m school

Jun 27 2008 by Chris Knox, The Journal

WORK has begun on a £20.3m school in Monkseaton which will accommodate more than 900 pupils.

North Tyneside’s Mayor John Harrison recently cut the first sod of land at the site, which will eventually house ICT suites, a sports hall, two gyms, specialist teaching areas, music rooms, recording studio, drama rooms and a number of independent learning areas.

The development, which is being constructed next to the existing school on Seatonville Road, is being built by York-based Shepherd Construction.

Shepherd, which has a regional office in Darlington, is also hard at work on a number of other large-scale developments in the region, including the £22m four-star Ramada Inn at Newcastle International Airport.

Mr Harrison said: “We are committed to making sure pupils in North Tyneside have access to first-class facilities that are fully equipped to provide the best opportunities for modern learning.

“The new Monkseaton High School will truly be a 21st-Century school, providing facilities that are fully equipped to provide the best opportunities for learning.”

The school is part of a massive £78m investment by North Tyneside Council over the last 12 months to deliver better leisure, learning and community facilities.

It is the latest phase in the borough’s £1bn 10-year capital spending plans, which has recently led to the opening of a string of new facilities including Beacon Hill School in Wallsend and has seen thousands of council homes refurbished to Decent Homes standard.