David Blunkett tops out Yewlands School

Dec 4 2007

David Blunkett MP and pupils from Yewlands School donned hard hats and trowels to mark a major milestone in the building of the pupils’ brand new school.

They helped to lay the final piece of concrete at the ‘topping out’ ceremony for the completion of the main structure of the new Yewlands Technology College, which forms part of the Building Schools for Future (BSF) programme. They were joined by representatives from Taylor Woodrow, Sheffield City Council, teachers and site workers.

The ceremony marks a momentous occasion for the BSF Sheffield programme, being the first school to reach topping out stage. As well as Yewlands Technology College, phase one of BSF Sheffield includes new secondary schools at Silverdale and Newfield, which also includes a new Special Educational Needs school, Talbot.

Andrew Percival, our Public Sector Director said: "We were delighted to see the pupils in particular taking part in this key milestone of their new school - we have a good relationship with Yewlands and this is just one of the many ways we’ve involved the current school children and staff in the building of their new facility.

"The ceremony marks the culmination of a great deal of hard work from all the people involved in the BSF Sheffield project and its exciting to see the building starting to take shape. We look forward to furthering our partnership with Sheffield City Council and bringing to fruition high quality new education facilities in the city."

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, said: "We congratulate all those involved with the new Yewlands Technology College for reaching this major milestone.

"BSF will see every single one of our schools in England transformed, and for Yewlands students this will mean more inspirational learning environments, better work places for the teachers, and put Yewlands at the centre of the local community."

Councillor Harry Harpham of Sheffield County Council said: "Building Schools for the Future is a massive boost for Sheffield, and Yewlands are among the first of the city's secondary schools to benefit from the investment.

"I know that the school and the community are very excited about the new opportunities that this building will bring, and that they will continue to build on their excellent reputation for serving young people and their families."

The BSF Sheffield school building programme is one of the largest in the country and is being completed by Paradigm - a consortium led by Taylor Woodrow. It will ensure the rebuilding, refurbishing and/or upgrading ICT provision for all of Sheffield's secondary schools, including those for pupils with special needs.

Phase one of BSF Sheffield began in March, with the schools due to be open in January 2009; the first phase of Yewlands will be open in September 2008.

The full BSF programme in Sheffield is scheduled to be completed in September 2012 and its value is estimated at nearly £400m.

"David Blunkett with Yewlands pupils Lucy Sharratt and Samantha Rodgers help celebrate the topping out. Andrew Percival of Taylor Woodrow assists with wheelbarrow"  Click here for photo