The school is being designed to be energy efficient and will include solar panels and electric vehicle charging points

Tilbury Douglas has celebrated the official start of construction to redevelop Longton Lane Primary School in Rainhill on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE) and St Helens Borough Council.

In attendance to mark the ‘ground breaking’ milestone were representatives from Longton Lane Primary School, the DfE, the local authority, and Tilbury Douglas.

Funded through the DfE’s School Rebuilding Programme – with a financial contribution from St Helens Borough Council – the project includes construction of a two-storey school building that will contain 13 classrooms, staff accommodation, a main hall, and kitchen – together with landscaping.

Replacing the existing building, the new school, which is designed by architects, Ellis Williams, will also have a number of green credentials, with photovoltaic roof panels to generate electricity – while an uplift in car and cycle parking spaces, as well as the introduction of electric charging points, will support the council’s target of reaching net zero carbon by 2024.

Councillor Nova Charlton, St Helens Borough Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “A good number of years of a child’s life is spent in school, so it’s important they have the perfect learning environment to help them thrive on their journey through education – which the new Longton Lane Primary School will help achieve.

“Being in a modern, vibrant school, built for the future, can make a world of difference to pupils and staff, so I’m delighted to see this development underway, which is an investment to enhance educational experience and will be a benefit to the wider community and environment, too, while helping us as a council achieve our key priority of ensuring children and young people have a positive start in life.”