Positive response to Bulmershe School £6m revamp plans

Plans for the £6million redevelopment of the Bulmershe School in Woodley will be submitted next month.

Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) said feedback following consultation had been very positive and that staff and pupils had been heavily involved in the design process.

The mixed sex comprehensive in Woodley was built in 1964. The building work will include significant refurbishment of existing classrooms, a new post-16 learning centre, a remodelled library and information centre, and an improved dining facility.

It will be funded through a capital investment from WBC, who will look to appoint a contractor to carry out the work as soon as the plans are approved. It is hoped the work, which is due to start this summer and could be finished by September 2015, will create a 21st century learning environment.

The facilities will also be available for community use.

New Bulmershe School headteacher Emma Reynolds said: "Thank you to everyone who has given us such positive and valuable feedback.

"Your input is pivotal to these plans, and we will continue to welcome it during the coming months.

"These are exciting times for the Bulmershe School – for its students, its staff and the whole local community."

Cllr Rob Stanton, deputy leader of Wokingham Borough Council and chair of The Bulmershe School Project Board, said: "The school drew up a high quality business case, which sets out its combined plan to enhance students’ educational results in conjunction with a significant plan of investment to improve learning conditions.

"Based on this business case, the council agreed to make this investment to the school. Our goal is to turn the school into a 21st century learning environment and make it a school of choice."