Head adds ‘Golden Bolt’ to new school
A head teacher has added a specially-made Golden Bolt to his new £14.5m school, which is currently being built by Aycliffe firm Finley Structures.
George Harris says pupils at Dene Community School in Peterlee can’t wait for their new building to be opened in October 2012.
And on Monday this week, he added a Golden Bolt to part of the construction.
“We’re all very excited to see the new school beginning to take shape,” said Mr Harris.
“There’s still a long way to go yet, but it’s getting there gradually and we’re delighted that the site hasn’t interfered with our learning flow whatsoever.
“The only snag is that our teachers have had to draw their blinds to keep their pupils concentrated because they can’t take their eyes off it!”
Finley Structures and main contractors Carillion Building have been keen to involve the school in the construction as much as possible.
A couple of months ago they arranged for pupils to visit Finley’s factory on Aycliffe Industrial Park to see how raw steel will form the core of their new building. They also signed a steel plate with their initials, which was welded in permanently and incorporated into the construction.
Finley’s managing director John Finley said: “We’ve had youngsters from Dene School visit us and they hopefully learned a lot about how the raw steel comes to us, is fabricated and then erected.
“It’s always nice to involve the young people wherever we can and it’s rewarding to see them come in and learn about our operations.
“On this occasion, they took a great interest and asked lots of questions which is great to see!”
Carillion’s community liaison manager Jane Braybrook added: “It’s important for the school and the pupils to have ownership of the new school so we’ve been working hard to involve them as much as we possibly can.
“We take the young people to see the steel being made and we’re also taking them to see the bricks being produced, so they get a real insight into how it all comes together, so when it’s completed they’ll feel they’ve been involved in it every step of the way.”
● Head teacher George Harris is pictured with the Golden Bolt at Dene Community School in Peterlee.
« Back to NewsState-of-the-art facilities
Our 90,000 sq ft production facility is packed with state-of-the-art machinery. We provide a wide range of structural solutions to the construction industry and offer a range of in-house services – including estimating, design and detailing, steel fabrication, painting and installation – enabling a cost-effective and efficient all-round service to main contractors.
