Ceremony held to mark progress of £6.8m extension to Peterborough special school

The progress on the Heltwate School extension at the former Silver Jubilee pub site at North Bretton.

Dignitaries gathered at Heltwate School last week (November 15) for a topping-out ceremony, which are traditionally held for major construction projects to mark the last beam being placed at the top of a structure.

Work on the £6.8m project, which has been funded by Peterborough City Council and constructed by RG Carter, is on schedule to be completed by spring 2023 and includes the following upgrades:

- A substantial new building incorporating five class spaces, a hall, sensory rooms, therapy rooms, hygiene rooms, storage, reception and office area, staff room, outdoor covered play area, outdoor hard and soft play areas

Adam Brewster Heltwate School Headteacher, Cllr Lynne Ayres and Russell Benson, the Carter site manager at the topping out ceremony for the new school extension in Bretton.

- Improvements to car parking, pupil drop-off and access

- The removal of temporary mobile classrooms

- The demolition of the existing Silver Jubilee building to enable the new accommodation to be built

- Upgrading and relocating an existing hard games court area used by the local community

Heltwate is a mixed, special school catering for pupils aged 5 to 19 with moderate to severe learning difficulties and additional medical needs. It also offers autism-specific education.

Cllr Lynne Ayres, Peterborough City Council cabinet member for children’s services, education, skills and the university, said: “We are extremely excited for the delivery of the new building to provide much-needed additional facilities for Heltwate School. The demand for special school places in Peterborough is constantly increasing and it is our duty to provide appropriate and imaginative accommodation so these young people can thrive.

“R G Carter has worked collaboratively alongside the Employer’s Agent Hamson Barron Smith throughout the project and the topping-out ceremony marks a significant milestone towards the completion of the building which is anticipated for early 2023.

"We would like to thank R G Carter for working with closely with the school to arrange a special signing ceremony for pupils during the erection of the steel frame. They have also liaised closely with local residents in the early stages of the project to address concerns and ensure that positive relationships have been maintained with the local community.”

Martin Randall, Client Manager at R G Carter said: “We are delighted to welcome key stakeholders to celebrate this exciting milestone. The topping-out ceremony is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase progress to date and thank everyone involved in the journey so far. We look forward to bringing Peterborough City Council and Heltwate School’s vision to life and delivering this wonderful education facility for the benefit of its pupils, staff, and the local community.”