Phoenix Integrated Primary and Nursery School has announced that construction of its new school building is due to commence September 2022. The £5.3 million project will deliver modern, energy efficient premises and first-class facilities which will support the education of pupils in the Cookstown area.
Castlewellan based construction company, Ganson Building and Civil Engineering Contractors Ltd, will deliver the building project, providing a boost to employment within the local area. The company has extensive experience in delivering high-quality educational buildings.
Principal Heather Watson said: “This is an exciting development for our whole school community. The staff and pupils are delighted we have reached this point in the project and look forward to seeing the construction of a purpose built school on site. Since Phoenix opened its doors in 2004 and welcomed 12 pupils in through its doors we have grown steadily and it is now time to have a permanent building which is fit for purpose. This will enable us provide high-quality education with an integrated ethos for the pupils in our care. Our students deserve the best start in life and a contemporary 21st century school, including state-of-the-art classrooms and resources, will help us to provide them with this.”
“A great deal of work has gone into getting to this stage and I pay tribute to our Board of Governors, the Department of Education and McAdam Design for their efforts in making this happen. We are now well established within the Cookstown area, with strong links to the community and look forward to building on these in the future.”
The completion date for the new building is 2024.
Welcoming the news, Gerard McClelland, Construction Director, said, ‘Our delivery team is especially looking forward to the opportunity of creating this exciting, prestigious development and look forward to the next important steps in delivering this complex education facility and leaving a positive lasting legacy for Cookstown and the wider area.’
The project will provide job opportunities in the area, including steps-to-work, apprenticeships and work placements for young people keen to explore career paths linked to the construction industry.” Please contact Ganson UK Ltd for further details.
The new build is being funded by the Department of Education as one of a number of Integrated Schools named in the first tranche of funding allocated under the Fresh Start Agreement in 2016.
