Work starts on £11m school scheme

Youngsters and county council members joined last Thursday in "turning the first sod" and began work on the 11million scheme to replace Highdown School on land next door to Durrington High.

Plans to close the current school in Durrington Lane and build a new secondary school for children with special needs were first announced in May, 2002, sparking concerned parents to start a 'save our school' campaign.

Graham Elliker, head teacher of Highdown School, said: "I am very pleased work has started. There was a bit of a delay with planning issues, but I am now looking forward to the new school being ready to open next year."

Pat Arculus, county cabinet member for education, together with pupils from Highdown, Palatine in Goring, Herons Dale in Shoreham and Durrington High,

turned the first sod.

She said: "It is going to be a wonderful site and a vital provision for some of the most special of our children. They really deserve the best.

"What is exciting is the possibility of the two schools, Durrington High and Highdown, working together."

Sally Pritchard, head teacher at Herons Dale, which will also be housed on the site, said: "We are very pleased everything is going ahead.

"We have been looking at the plans and it is all very exciting."

As part of the changes, the school, which currently caters for children aged between five and nine with severe learning disabilities, will effectively become a secondary school for 240, 11 to 19 year olds. Palatine and Herons Dale will become primary schools.

The new school will have 36 classrooms and specialist features, including a science lab, school hall, hydrotherapy pool and library.

The Rose Wilmot Youth Centre will get a new building on the site and discussions are also ongoing to agree a scheme to replace Cissbury Lodge, a residential facility for young people with special needs, also on the site.

Education bosses proposed the changes two years ago after securing a 4.8million government grant to improve special needs schools in West Sussex.

But the plans for Worthing and Shoreham hit problems when the county council rejected the Highdown application because of an 'unfriendly design'. The plans were then reworked so the building fitted in with the surrounding area.

Planning councillors gave the new designs their seal of approval in May, followed by county council's okay a few days later.