Leeds school opens ahead of schedule

A primary school and children’s centre in Leeds is moving into its state-of-the-art new home a full half-term ahead of schedule.

Bewerley Community School and Children’s Centre is able to move into its striking new building this week after the £4.6m scheme was fully completed, with zero defects, four weeks early.

The impressive building - funded by Leeds City Council, DfES and 4children - has been likened to a spaceship or a spiral shell, with every classroom wrapping around the central school hall.

The school was designed by Leeds City Council’s in-house Architectural Design Service (ADS). ADS worked in partnership with the school, children’s centre, Education Leeds, contractors Kier Northern and the wider community to develop a creative learning environment which can play a central role in the wider regeneration of the area.

As a result, Beeston has an eye-catching community school and 78-place children’s centre which offers:

• provision for 15 children with special educational needs
• fully inclusive, year-round, 8am-6pm childcare and education for children up to 11 years olds
• learning, training and recreational opportunities for the wider community
• floodlit all-weather multi use games area, grass football pitch and a vibrant, colourful, safe outdoor play area.

The school’s design and method of construction reflected the council’s commitment to providing sustainable, efficient buildings. Environmental and ecological issues were closely considered, from using recycled or environmentally friendly materials and reusing material from the old school site to reduce landfill to installing a sustainable drainage system feeding a wetland area on school grounds.

Ray Owen, Project Manager, Kier Northern, said: “The teamwork, enthusiasm and commitment demonstrated by ADS, Education Leeds, the School, the Children’s Centre and our supply chain has allowed Kier to provide a fantastic, landmark building to a standard that it rightly deserves."