PROUD pupils and staff of Hetton Primary School in Moorsley Road are settling into the new £6.7m building. This is part of the City Council’s ongoing programme of investments and improvements for young people and families in the North East of England.

Works began in August 2021 and the new school has been built on the same site with its new playing field due for completion in Spring 2023. The school includes energy saving features as part of the City Council’s moves toward helping Sunderland become carbon neutral. It has 11 class rooms, a multi-use hall, and an open plan library at the heart of the school and can accommodate 245 pupils of all ages including its nursery provision.

Councillor Louise Farthing, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Skills said: “It’s a very exciting time for everyone at the school and it will be serving the needs of the community in the North East of England for generations to come. The new Hetton Primary is providing pupils and staff with modern facilities which not only enhance and improve the learning experience, but also help provide the highest standard of education for the young people who are the future of our city.”

Nursery and reception classrooms now have their own external play areas directly linked to the individual teaching spaces for safe indoor and outdoor play.

Headteacher Nicola Hill said: “We have an amazing and much improved learning environment which will allow all of our pupils to be the best that they can be, as we prepare them for the next steps in their school journey.”

Simon Marshall, Sunderland’s Director of Education said: “New buildings mark a new chapter in the history of the school and bring tangible and big improvements to daily life, not just for pupils and staff but also for families and the wider community in the North East of England. I’d like to thank everyone for their efforts in delivering this new build and look forward to seeing the impact these changes make.”

A new car park and drop-off plaza has been created to the front of the school to create a safe area for parents, visitors and staff to visit the school.

Bringing Tangible Improvements to Daily Life at Hetton Primary
Settled in at the new Hetton primary with back left to right Deputy Head Teacher Jo Woodhall, Simon Marshall Sunderland’s Director of Education and Sunderland City Council Cabinet Member for Children, Learning and Skills, Councillor Louise Farthing.

The main contractor at Hetton was Robertson Construction North East and its Regional Managing Director Garry Hope said: “Hetton Primary School is an excellent addition to the North East’s education portfolio and we are continuing our strong working relationship with the City Council. The investment by the council into schools like Hetton, are shown to improve attainment and attendance and we have been proud to be part of the creation of this new learning environment. As part of our legacy at the school we have donated a selection of books to the school library which we hope will be enjoyed by many pupils for years to come.”

A new £13.3m Sunningdale School at Clinton Place, Doxford, has also been completed this year and further school improvements works, designed by the council’s Capital Project Team are continuing in the North East of England.


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