Carterton Community College celebrates new maths block (From Witney Gazette)

Carterton Community College celebrates new maths block

9:00am Wednesday 11th October 2006 in Witney By Amanda Williams

TEACHERS and pupils at Carterton Community College are celebrating after being handed the keys to their new maths block a month early.

The two-storey building houses six classrooms, and the maths department will move in after the October half-term holiday.

Headteacher, Julie Tridgell, was full of praise for the team at Oxford-based builders Beard, which completed the £900,000 project.

She said: "They have also bent over backwards to organise the building work, so that classes and exams could go ahead as normal. The quality of the building they have produced is outstanding."

Carterton Community College is a mixed comprehensive for 11 to 16-year-olds, and pupil numbers have grown from 500 to 750 since the school opened.

The new building features traditional brickwork over a structural steel frame, bright-blue window frames, and colourful interior finishes. The entrance foyer leads to a lift and a staircase. Beard worked closely with Mouchel Parkman, who were the lead architects, structural engineers, and mechanical and electrical engineers on the project.

Beard project manager, Adrian O'Shaughnessy, said: "We worked very closely with Mouchel Parkman both before and throughout the construction project, so the building could benefit as much as possible from our specialist knowledge and network of reliable suppliers."

The project is the first in a £12m schools building programme for Oxfordshire County Council being carried out by Beard. The company is working on three further projects under the framework agreement with Oxfordshire County Council: a new sports hall and changing rooms at Bartholomew School, Eynsham, a new assembly hall at Marlborough Church of England School, Woodstock, and a new assembly hall and changing rooms at Warriner School, Bloxham.

Each project is worth between £1m and £1.7m.