New look for school is on the timetable

The news that a crumbling Halifax school will be rebuilt after years of concern over its condition has been met with delight.
Moorside Community Primary School, Ovenden celebrate funding for a new school building.Moorside Community Primary School, Ovenden celebrate funding for a new school building.
Moorside Community Primary School, Ovenden celebrate funding for a new school building.

Work will begin immediately on Moorside Community Primary School, Keighley Road, following a meeting of Calderdale Council and the Department for Education (DfE).

Moorside had been grouped together with Copley Primary School and Cragg Vale Junior and Infant School for funding by the DfE, but when a paper on long-term options for Cragg Vale was withdrawn last year, progress halted on Copley and Moorside.

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But the two schools can now move forward without the need to make a long-term decision on the future of Cragg Vale.

Dani Worthington, headteacher at Moorside, said: “The pupils, staff and governors are delighted with the news that our new build will go ahead with immediate effect.

“My announcement in assembly was met with a huge cheer from the pupils, which had been the same reaction from the governors the previous evening.

“As a school we are very grateful to our local councillors from both the Ovenden and the Mixenden and Illingworth wards who along with Holly Lynch MP, have all visited the school offering their support and have been instrumental in securing the funding to allow this build to go ahead.

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“The children at this school deserve the very best, the learning environment is incredibly important in supporting a child’s education and already many of the children have lots of ideas about what they want from their new school. I am looking forward to working with the pupils, parents and governors to create a school that will sit at the heart of the community and become a school we can all be proud of.”

Megan Swift, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said the news was a “great relief”.

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