Pupils get first taste of new dining hall

May 22 2009 by Chris Knox, The Journal

PUPILS at Thornhill School in Sunderland joined a team of builders from Newcastle construction firm Dorin for their tea break as they began work on a £1.2m dining hall.

After eight years in the planning, work has commenced at the school to create a modern catering facility to replace the one which has been used daily by the children since the school’s opening in 1966.

Dorin Construction, which is based at Kingston Park, won the contract as part of a competitive tender based on its track record in the education sector and is now on schedule to complete the project ready for the start of the new academic year this September.

Dorin site manager Rod Hutchinson said: “Dorin has completed schools projects across the region and it’s always a pleasure to welcome pupils onto the site at an early stage to view the work that’s being undertaken.

“The creation of the new dining hall will have a big impact on the day to day life of the school and the pupils will see the building take shape over the next few months.”

The school is awaiting confirmation on whether it is to be included in the Government’s Building Schools for the Future Programme, which would see further developments at the site.

John Hallworth, executive head teacher at Thornhill, said: “The new dining hall is the latest development at the school following the opening of the sports hall in 2007, and we are delighted at how work is progressing.

“It’s important to continuously improve our facilities for students.”