A sporting sum for new school centre

Buy photos » Assistant head teacher Dean Wragg, head teacher Patsy Weighill, manager Sue Miller, PE teacher Natasha Warwood and pupils celebrate funding for a new sports centre at Bilton School. 16.013.011.rug.nc1

A SPORTING injection of cash will see a brand new £2 million centre built at Bilton School.

The existing sports centre there has been described as dated and will be knocked down next year to make way for a new facility paid for by the Department of Education after a successful bid by the school.

Headteacher Patsy Weighill said it would provide a further boost to the Lawford Lane school, which has gone from strength to strength in recent years with strong Ofsted reports and the launch of a sixth form.

She said students currently had to use an old sports centre with a concrete floor and inadequate changing rooms.

Mrs Weighill said: "We've always provided two hours of PE a week and it is a popular A-level subject, but we haven't always got facilities here so we sometimes have to bus the children to other places which isn't ideal.

"With this we can greatly improve our facilities which would tie in nicely with the Olympic legacy of last year.

"We've just had a good Ofsted inspection, and I always believe the best place people can go to school is in their community.

"We want children to want to come here and we don't just want to be second best to the grammar schools. The more we can do that the better, and this sports centre will help us."

It will feature a new sports hall, gym, fitness studio and changing facilities, and it will be open for use by the public outside school hours.

Work is set to start in September, subject to planning permission. The existing facilities will be knocked down next year and it is hoped the centre will be up and running by the end of 2014.

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