Work begins this week on the construction of Nottingham's multi million pound Primary Capital Programme.

A turf cutting ceremony will take place on Friday, 22 January at Robin Hood Primary in Bestwood, one of first schools being remodelled as part of the Primary Capital programme (PCP).

Pupils from all the schools will join Councillor David Mellen, Nottingham City Council's Portfolio Holder for Children's Services, to break the ground where a new inspiring classroom block will be built which will become a beacon for the local community.

Robin Hood Primary School in Bestwood caters for 420 pupils and has a 60 place nursery. The aspiration is to create a school with fun, creativity and pupil achievement at its heart and to showcase healthy and sustainable lifestyles. A new classroom block will be built for Key Stage 2 pupils. The new block will be built around the existing Key Stage 1 block and nursery unit to form a new central gathering space for pupils.

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Henry Whipple School, Greenfields Community School and Blue Bell Hill School are also being remodelled in the first phase of Nottingham's PCP which is worth £7.8 million.

Henry Whipple School in Bestwood caters for 210 pupils and has a 30 place nursery. The school will be transformed into a landmark building which will make the school more accessible to the local community and enable the school to provide a wider range of services with a family focus. One of the key features of the design is the addition of a roof over the central courtyard to form a space for outdoor learning, play and family activities.

Greenfields Community School in The Meadows caters for 210 pupils and has a 30 place nursery. The link between the main school and the nursery unit will be improved both physically and visually and new outdoor teaching spaces will create opportunities for teaching and learning within a landscaped setting. The old multi-purpose hall space will become a flexible learning hub which includes a café and a library. This will become the heart of the school and be open to parents, carers and the local community.

Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, the organisation responsible for delivering the full suite of schools capital programmes including Building Schools for the Future (BSF), said: "This milestone marks the start of work on the first primary school in Nottingham since Partnerships for Schools took over responsibility for the Primary Capital Programme. With BSF secondary schools already open in Nottingham and more to come, pupils in the area can look forward to benefitting from life changing facilities throughout their school career and I look forward to following their progress."

Construction work begins this month on the first three schools with work starting on Blue Bell Hill around Easter time.

(CD/GK)