New School Building
Here you can follow the journey of our new school building – from the first breaking of ground through to our Big Move In – and what a journey it’s been – thank you for being on it with us!
If you would like to know more about how you can help Whickham School New Build be the very best it can be please visit our Supporting Whickham pages.
Or you can donate now via our JustGiving page, its fast, secure and every little helps
Building Update – January 2020
The Big Move – WE ARE IN!!
It was a very busy Christmas holiday period to get the ‘old building emptied’ and the ‘new school building furnished’ ready for the start of the January term.
Our fundraising efforts proved successful and we would like to thank all of our pupils, parents, staff, governors, members, community stakeholders and benefactors for helping us to achieve our goal to kit the new school out so that it is the very best it can be.
Our new learning environment is a delight. The children came back to school after the Christmas break to an amazing gift ‘A Learning environment that is vibrant, exciting and inspiring, which is everything that they deserve, to support their educational journey here at Whickham School.
BAM Construction who managed the building project have been caring and considerate throughout the building process and successfully delivered a wonderful new school building that the pupils will enjoy for many generations to come.
Phase 2 of the project
Is where the demolition of the old main teaching blocks, school hall PE, dance facilities, design technology, art, science and food technology blocks will take place, and we are confident that BAM Construction will continue to support the school to ensure that teaching and learning is not affected during the process.
Phase 3 of the project
Will be the reinstatement of our tennis courts and multi-use games facility (MUGGA), which were demolished to make space for the new school foundations to be made.
As a school we will continue with our efforts to submit capital funding bids to Government at every opportunity, so that the rest of the school building stock is brought up to date over time.
We will continue to keep you updated via the school website and social media threads as each of the project stages and milestones are reached.
Building Update – December 2019
We are on our last two days before we break up for the Christmas Holiday and the building programme is going to plan.
A Mock Handover of the new building took place this week with the Department for Education, BAM Construction and the Headteacher, which included a full walk round of the new school to ensure it meets the design and building specification.
It is pleasing to note that everything is working to schedule for a successful formal handover, for when the children return to school for the start of term in January.
Staff have been eagerly packing to ensure that everything is in place. The removal companies have been tireless in their efforts to ensure that the school resources are moved over safely, and a team of people will be working right through the Christmas Break to ensure the job is done.
Each of the four floors are colour coded, and signage and stairwell entrances reflect this, to support the pupils for navigating around the new and exciting learning spaces.
Teaching and Learning
Teaching and learning continues to inspire and excite our pupils, and the Last Christmas Carol Services took place yesterday for the last time in the school sports hall. The memories of these buildings have certainly shaped the future for past and present generations. There is an acknowledgement that the buildings are tired and past their useful life, however the memories of these spaces will stay close in our hearts for ever.
We will be closing our doors for the last time to the old buildings early January, however with the support and generosity and goodwill of the parents, pupils, staff, funding partners, generous benefactor, and our local community we have been able to replenish almost all of the furnishing for the new school building.
Our Learning Spaces – 17th December 2019
Building Update November 2019
BAM have been working hard on the new school project and the interior designs are starting to take shape. The classrooms and corridors are spacious and we are looking forward to introducing the students to their new and well deserved learning environment in January.
Here are a few pictures of the interior rooms.
View from the top floor
View from the top floor
Classroom spaces and science labs
Building Update – October 2019
It’s all getting real!
You can support us to make Whickham School be the very best they can be, by supporting our fundraising campaign at:
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/WhickhamNewSchool
Building Update – September 2019
Taking Shape
The new school building is really taking shape. The interior classroom spaces are currently being fitted with fixed furnishings, flooring and lights. Staff, Pupils and Governors have had exclusive tours and we are all feeling very excited for the new year ahead when we take ownership of the new building for the start of term in January 2020.
The move to the new school will not only have a positive impact on our existing pupils, it is going to serve many future generations to come as well as our wider community users.
The building will be home to our STEAM subjects
Science
Technology
Engineering
Arts
Mathematics
The new four story building will also house our new sports facilities
Fundraising
This week at the start of the new term, staff, pupils, parents, governors took place in a ‘Whole School Sponsored Walk’. Our target was to collectively walk 10,000km to help raise funds for the new school, and it is pleasing to report that we **SMASHED IT**, with true team spirit. Well done to everyone who took part, and many thanks to all our supporters who sponsored family and friends with our fundraising effort.
If you would like to know more about how you can help Whickham School New Build, be the very best it can be, please visit our section on the website via the following link: http://www.whickhamschool.org/supporting-whickham-school/ .
Building Update – April 2019
It has been a busy few weeks and the new school is progressing well.
There are 3 phases to the building programme and it is pleasing to note that phase 1 and 2 are now watertight with the roof surfaces in place, windows fitted and concrete flooring complete.
BAM Construction arranged for some aerial photos this month which show progress to date.
Building Update – February 11th 2019
Thank you to BAM Construction for providing us with the time-laps footage which shows the progress of our new school being built from the contractors arriving on site back in November last year and up to 17th January this year. It is amazing at how quickly the new school is starting to take shape over what has only been a few short months.
Starting this week some of our pupils will be taking part in some guided tours of the building site and they will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain an insight into the world of construction and engineering. The pupil groups will be supported by Carole Shaw, BAM Education and Community Coordinator and school staff.
By the end of February, we will see that the steel for the internal walls being erected and the floors will be laid in phase 1 of the build. Cladding to the new sports block and some windows will also be fitted as part of this phase of work.
Building Update – February 1st 2019
Here are some new photos of the building programme as of this morning. The good news is that we are still on timeline and that the snow has not affected the programme of works. Well done to the BAM construction team for their resilience and hard work through this cold snap.
Please click photos for a full-size copy.
Building Update – December 20th 2018
The building work is progressing well and it is exciting to see the first section of the steel work in place for what will be our new two-storey sports hall.
In the New Year, as the work progresses, we will be looking to engage with pupils in school to provide the opportunity for a nominated person from each of the year groups to sign a section of the steel with each year groups nominated Olympic Value. This will ensure that the current pupils in school have the opportunity to make a legacy statement of where Whickham School is now in terms of their collective pupil voice and values.
We will keep you all updated with further progress posts in the New Year.
Please click photos for a full-size copy.
Building Update – November 22nd 2018
Breaking Ground
We were thrilled to welcome Freeman of Gateshead, Sir John Hall, to carry out the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new build on 22nd November. Sir John was joined by esteemed guests, led by the Worshipful Mayor of Gateshead Cllr Jill Green and Liz Twist MP. The ceremonial breaking of earth was followed by a reception to celebrate, not only the past 55 years of Whickham School but also to look forward with great pride at this wonderful opportunity for future generations of Gateshead school children.
It was a huge honour that Sir John Hall agreed to perform the ceremony on this exciting new development and it was fitting that we should mark this prestigious occasion with a visionary who has played a key role in the regeneration of Gateshead – leaving a legacy that touches us all.
Students past, present and future attended the ceremony and reception where they met our special VIP guests, civic dignitaries and business partners, and all were fantastic ambassadors for the school. A very special thank you goes out to the Year 6 ambassadors who represented our feeder Primary Schools, and who will be the first new cohort to make use of the fabulous facilities in our new building.
More photos of the day can be found on our Facebook Page @whickham
Please click photos for a full-size copy.
Building Update – November 9th 2018
Amazing what can be done in just 2 weeks…. Here are a couple of snippets of how the preparation of the site is going.
By the end of today, the site will be level, the piling rigs arrive next week and the foundation work will commence soon.
This will all coincide with our *Ground-breaking Ceremony* on 22nd November.
Watch this space for news of our prestigious guest of honour who will be
supporting us to mark the occasion.
Photos from this week:
Please click photos for a full-size copy.
Building Update – October 24th 2018
Building Work has started!
The Building Work has Started this holiday period. BAM Construction are setting up the site compound and the site is a hive of activity.
To support the safety of our pupils and visitors we have a main gate closure in operation for 30mins each day. It would be appreciated if parents and visitors support us with our traffic management plan to keep the front of school safe. Please be mindful that there are double yellow lines on Burnthouse Lane and it is important to keep the roadway clear of parked vehicles to allow pupils and delivery vans clear and safe access to and from school.
Regular updates, photos and newsletters from BAM Construction will be posted here.
Photos from this week:
Please click photos for a full-size copy.
Building Update – October 2018
Site Set Up – Building Work to Commence
BAM Construction will be setting up the builder’s compound and boundary fencing this month ready for the construction work to commence on the new school site. This will mean that a proportion of the main school car park will no longer be available to us as it will be part of the boundary walls to segregate the building site from the rest of the school operations.
Gate Closure and restrictions for vehicles to the school site from Monday 8th October
In anticipation of the site set up, we will be restricting vehicle access to the main school site and car park facilities for 30 mins at the end of each day before the pupils are due to leave school.
This will mean that there will be No Vehicle Access to the school site during these times.
Main Gate Closure times will be as follows:
Closed for 30 mins Between 2.50pm to 3.20pm Monday to Friday
Every second week (School Improvement Hour)
The closure times will be between:
1.50pm – 2.20pm on a Tuesday Week 2 only
The gate closure is to reduce traffic ingress/egress and support pupils while they are leaving the school site at the end of the school day.
We trust parents/carers will understand and support us with this change.
If parents/carers do have an appointment in school during any of the above times, we recommend that alternative ways of travelling to school are considered or that safe parking is sought in the locality. The pedestrian gates will remain open to accept visitors on foot.
Building Update – September 2018
It is pleasing to report that the planning permission for our new £15million school building has been granted and we are now able to share some of the plans with you.
This new building will not only have a positive impact on our existing pupils, but those for generations to come as well as our wider community users.
The building will be home to our STEAM subjects
Science
Technology
Engineering
Arts
Mathematics
The stunning four-storey building will also house new sports facilities.
We are very fortunate that the building construction site will be separate from the current school buildings, and the education of the pupils will not be affected.
Timeline:
October 2018 Work is due to commence
January 2020 Planned opening date
Keeping you informed:
We will keep you informed with regular updates as the work progresses via the school website and social media.
