The Royal Borough’s £30 million secondary school expansion programme passed a key milestone on Monday 23rd April, with the topping out ceremony for a new building.
The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) building at Charters School, Sunningdale will be a new block of 13 classrooms, for science and maths teaching; two of these will be science laboratories. The new facilities will provide additional maths classrooms as well as replace the old existing maths modular buildings.
As part of the topping out, Cllr Natasha Airey, cabinet member for children’s services, marked the occasion by flicking a switch connected to the roof’s solar panels.
She said: “We’re investing over £30 million in a programme to expand our secondary schools and it was fantastic to see first hand the excellent work happening at Charters.
“Students and staff seem delighted with the building so far and I’m looking forward to seeing it completed, ready in time for their return to school in September.
“The Royal Borough’s secondary school expansion programme will eventually create over 1,000 additional student places at six schools.”
The expansion of Charters will provide an additional 210 student places over five years and the topping out means the building is now weatherproof and work can begin to complete the inside.
Co-Headteacher of Charters, Richard Pilgrim said: “We are delighted that Charters is benefitting from brand new facilities as part of the Royal Borough’s secondary schools’ expansion programme.
“In this, the school’s diamond anniversary year, we are celebrating the success of our STEM subjects by participating in the Royal Society’s Summer Exhibition.
“This new 13-room teaching block will inspire the next generation of scientists and mathematicians in the years to come.”