West Sussex County Council and Woodlands Meed College have agreed a timeline for the next steps towards opening the school’s new facilities.
The handover of the site in Burgess Hill is now set to take place during the Christmas school break to ensure minimum disruption to pupils, staff and teachers. The new timeline was agreed at a meeting between the college and the council, held on Tuesday, 19 September.
Both parties agreed that as the original agreed deadline of late August was not met, a new timeframe outside of term time should be set to ensure completion and minimise disruption.
The new timeline will enable internal works to be completed to a safe and functional level, ready for use by the school’s one hundred children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Pupils will continue to be taught in the existing buildings on site in the meantime while work on the new building continues.
Councillor Jacquie Russell, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Learning and Skills said: “Following a meeting with Woodlands Meed, we have worked together to agree a new, achievable handover process, which seeks to minimise additional disruption for staff and students as much as possible.
“I completely understand the disappointment and frustration felt by all connected with the school because of delays to the project. I hope parents will understand that we have put in place a timeline that ensures completion of the new facilities at minimum disruption to pupils. I am confident that we now have a way forward that will put an end to uncertainty.
“I would like to thank all parents, pupils and staff at Woodlands Meed for their continued patience and understanding. The building of new facilities at Woodlands Meed College represents a significant investment for West Sussex County Council and we want to make sure we deliver a fantastic school that will help many young people achieve their potential for years to come."
The multi-million pound project led by West Sussex County Council will deliver a host of new facilities, including a new hydrotherapy pool, 12 new classrooms and new outside spaces for learning and play.
