Ageing primary school to be demolished and rebuilt

Tang Hall Primary Academy in York will remain open during the rebuild project

Plans to demolish and rebuild an ageing primary school which has come to the end of its "functional life" have been approved.

The one-storey building set to be built at Tang Hall Primary Academy in York will "transform the quality of education" at the 210-pupil school, according to City of York Council.

The project, funded by the Department for Education (DfE), was due to be carried out by construction firm ISG but the company went into administration last week.

Following ISG's collapse, a DfE spokesperson said it had implemented its "detailed contingency plans" to mitigate any impact on schools with construction schemes.

The current school would remain open for pupils while the new building is under construction.

The rebuild is part of the DfE school rebuilding programme, which involves major rebuilding and refurbishment projects at hundreds of school and sixth-form college buildings across England.

When asked whether the collapse of ISG would affect the Tang Hall plans, the DfE said: “We have implemented our detailed contingency plans and affected departments are working to ensure sites are safe and secure.”

A council report about the school, which was built in 1927 during the creation of the Tang Hall estate, said: "Now almost 100 years after the school was first occupied, the building no longer meets the modern needs of pupils, staff or community."

The document detailed a number of "inadequacies" such as draughts, brick deterioration, damp and cracks in the walls.

The authority said pupil numbers would not be increased as a result of the rebuild, with the development carried out in phases to allow the school to stay open throughout.

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