WORK has started on a multi-million pound primary school which could act as a “beacon” for educational excellence.

The new £7.5m school will replace Custom House Lane Junior School and Dee Road Infants School in Connah’s Quay and is due to open in September, 2012.

Cllr Nigel Steele-Mortimer, Flintshire Council’s executive member for lifelong
learning, said: “The new school will provide modern, first class facilities for delivering the curriculum in the 21st century.

“I look forward to following the progress of the new development and, of course, to when it opens for the pupils in September, 2012.”

Pupils from the schools took part in the official turf cutting ceremony yesterday which was also attended by councillors, officials and representatives of Read Construction Holdings, of Brymbo, the company building the school.

The new single storey school is being built on the existing school playing fields and will accommodate 360 primary and 30 nursery pupils and there will be 12 classrooms, a nursery, assembly hall, studio, kitchen and community facilities.

Richard Heatonere, managing director of Read Construction, said: “The new school will act as a beacon for educational excellence both within the local community and Flintshire at large.

“Read is exceptionally proud to have been awarded this significant contract and we look forward to working with all stakeholders in delivering this prestigious project.”

There will be landscaped play and recreation areas and two new car parks accessed from Mold Road.

Once the new school is built and occupied, the existing infants and junior schools, which date back to 1908 and 1881, will be demolished and a new playing field and overspill car park will be built.

Leighton Andrews, the Welsh Assembly Government’s education minister, said: “It’s great to see the start of construction on this project. This investment is another sign of our ongoing commitment to improving schools in Wales and will provide an environment fit for the 21st century for the pupils of the new primary school.”