Work begins on Brigg Primary School

"It's all about the kids," said Mr Steve Pearce - headmaster of Brigg primary - with conviction. (The current Glebe Road school) "is a tired old building in which it is difficult to present a warm welcome to the children."

Old Glebe Road building

The main Brigg Primary School building was built in 1926 with 'H.O.R.S.A' temporary buildings put up during the war. The HORSA prefabs are of single brick construction with asbestos roofs which are hot in summer and cold in winter. Other school buildings include more modern prefabs, which have problems of their own.

Work is now underway on a replacement school which is being built on land on the Atherton Way industrial estate directly behind the Redcombe Lane housing estate and next door to the Ancholme Vale college and St. Mary's Primary school.

The new school has been designed with 'sustainable' principles in mind and the pupils will be encouraged to walk or cycle to school on a new network of paths / cycle lanes which will link the school to the next-door schools and the town centre.

Mr Pearce said that he had been consulted throughout the whole process of design and planning of the school and praised the efforts of Brigg's MP Mr Ian Cawsey who helped to get the finances together for the new school and said that North Lincolnshire Council was 'really helpful'. The LEA have kept the Brigg Primary school in touch all along the way and the headmaster has been to see other local schools which contain some of the new features which will be built into the new Brigg Primary School.

The new school will not just be a replacement for the old Glebe Road school, but shall have many exciting new learning facilities for the children including a purpose built IT suite, and art and music rooms. In the centre of the building there shall be a quadrangle which may become a lovely area for the children to both play and learn, but the exact function has not yet been decided.

Working on the great reputation that the school has for its music and drama performances, the new building shall have a larger hall which can accommodate all of the pupils. This shall be fitted with a purpose designed audio and lighting system. Gone too will be the days of having to serve meals in the assembly hall as the new school will have a separate dining area.

One of the biggest limitations of the present school has been the lack of outdoor play facilities - the children having to walk to the Nelthorpe or Vale of Ancholme Schools. There shall be a purpose built play area as well as a playing field.

New school layout

According to Mr Pearce, "the future of Brigg is rosy". With more families moving into town the capacity of the new school shall be expanded from the current 420 pupils to 460 places - which will include reception areas, a nursery unit and many 'quiet areas'.

Work is well underway with the 'site strip' (removal of topsoil) being completed on time and now the foundations are being built with the sound of pile driving to be heard about the north part of Brigg.

It will take just a year to complete the build and from September 2006 Mr Pearce will be spending two days a week onsite to plan the layout of equipment and the classrooms. In January 2007, the pupils will move into their new school. "I feel sorry for the year 5 and 6 pupils who won't have a chance to use the new classes."

Mr Pearce has been a headmaster for 30 years and moved in 1984 from Cumbria to Brigg Primary. During this time, the role of a headmaster has changed a lot and it has meant that it has been an interesting time for him in Brigg.

Mr Pearce is already thinking about equipping the new school. "We shall be keeping the better equipment and purchasing new equipment too." There is some money available for furniture and fittings, but the exciting plans for the school mean that children will be looking forward to playing on state-of-the-art play equipment.

Quality play equipment, however, doesn't come cheap. With a typical installation costing around £50,000, the Brigg Primary School will be looking for sponsorship from local businesses and also former pupils who would like to put something back into the school and the future of the town.

The children, too, are being involved in the move. Over the coming months they shall be taken to the new site, and there shall also be visits by the construction workers to the school. Two pupils shall be chosen to help lay a foundation stone in the new school - and all the children shall have the chance to contribute to a 'time capsule' which will be buried in the school grounds.

January 2007 may seem like a long way in the future, but soon the Brigg Primary School children will have a bright new place to learn and grow.