A sod cutting ceremony to mark the start of building work on the new Gladstone Primary School expansion will take place today, Friday 13 September 2013.

The new building will comprise of a new two-storey block containing 16 classrooms to teach all the school's Key Stage 2 pupils (Years 3 to 6), while the current site will teach Key Stage 1 pupils (Early Years Foundation Stage, Years 1 to 2) as well as provide provision for a children's centre (and pre-school).

By splitting the school over two sites, it means the school can increase the number of pupils it can take and facilities available to the public will also improve.

The project will also see the school use part of Gladstone Community Centre on a daily basis for sport and for their dining room. The main hall will be divided in half so it can also be open to the public throughout the day as normal.

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Improvements will be made to the community centre including, a shared reception and the construction of a new 3G sports pitch for the use of the school and the public.

There will be a new link building joining the new block to the existing Veranda building. The Veranda will be remodelled inside in order to provide further school accommodation.

The project will cost £7m and the new Key Stage 2 site will be open to pupils from September 2014, with improvements to Gladstone Community Centre completed at the same time.

Councillor John Holdich, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and University for Peterborough City Council, said: "Gladstone Primary School is one of many schools set to benefit from the £42 million allocated by the city council to build additional school places over the next year. This investment is set to create 8,000 new school places over the next eight years.

"The school is achieving well and recently received nationwide recognition for its commitment to education, after being rated as good across the board. We want to continue the growth of this brilliant school and are pleased to be able to offer more school places in a modernised building from 2014."

(CD/JP)