Rain rain go away!

It’s the last week of term for all the students but there’s no rest for the building contractors!

Last week we started work on the external cladding, and this is progressing well. The weather hasn’t picked up much this week, but luckily it hasn’t affected things too much. We’re praying for some sun soon!

We have started to put the internal partitions in place inside the building, so the Sixth Form is really starting to take shape.

Over the school holidays we are expecting to complete the horticultural area and start work on fitting the main services to the site, including gas and electric.

Steel yourselves…..big developments have happened!

James Killelea & Sons delivered the steel work this week, and our contractors have already got to work on erecting it.

Things will really start to take shape now – we’ll soon to able to see the size of our Sixth Form, which is very exciting. This is going to be the main focus on site over the coming weeks. We will be able to bring the metal steel work in for the building’s floors shortly.

As we reported last week, we had to delay laying the astra-turf on the MUGA pitch, but this has now been completed. The MUGA pitch will soon be ready, but the next stage is to sand the surface. Let’s hope the weather stays on our side!

We will be soon getting to work on the internal drainage, but we’ll bring you more on that next week.

Don’t forget to log on to our live webcam to watch the latest events on site.

Things are beaming

Friday 5^th March

We have been progressing with the construction of the ground beams, which form the foundations of the building. There is a lot of work to be done, which we’ll be busy with over the coming weeks.

You may have noticed the road sweepers around the site, who have been doing their best to keep the grounds outside the school clear during the mud shift. Local residents will have received the latest newsletter from Bardsley’s, keeping them up to date on what is happening.

Over the coming weeks we will be focusing on completing the MUGA pitch (Multi Use Games Area).

If you want to check out the latest developments on site, log on to our live web cam. http://88.96.131.206:2500/view/index.shtml

Rise to the surface

This week we have completed works to Constablee Primary School’s playground. The contractors have finished creating the footpath by the side of it.

One of the big jobs we faced was to level out the playing field at Constablee School by raising the surface. The school had a visit from OFSTED this week, and Bardsley’s ensured the building work didn’t affect it and that road sweepers were on site.

One of the biggest jobs we have been working on is the piling rig, which forms the foundations of the building. Some of our students were given a presentation by piling specialists Rock and Alluvium who carried out the work with Bardsley’s. It was a great chance for the students to find out more about the work that goes into the construction and see how things are coming along.

Next week, we will be continuing with laying the foundation work, which we are hoping to complete by the middle of next month.

Sod cutting ceremony marks start of construction work

19 February 2010

We have had a busy few weeks and made some great progress. The construction work has started and we marked it with an official sod-cutting ceremony, which was attended by our Head Boy and Girl, Robert Pratt and Katherine Lucas.

One of the biggest tasks we faced was the sewer diversion works – there was a deep drain running through the school which had to be reconfigured. We were under pressure to do it quickly though before the pilers were delivered to the site for the foundation work to be started. The bad weather also had an impact, but the piling work has now commenced.

As it has been half term this week, we have focused on extending the work to Constablee Primary School’s playground whilst the pupils are off. We have completed it and put a temporary fence up around it. Our next job is to recreate a footpath for access off the field.

An exciting development about to get under way is the erection of the steel frame, which will form the skeleton of the building. This week we had a positive meeting with Rossendale steel firm James Killelea & Co, based in Crawshawbooth. They are producing a 3D model of the steel work for us, which will be displayed on site. We will let you know when it is complete.

We will also continue to keep you updated on the site developments, but if you do have any issues or concerns about the building work, then please contact us on site on 01706 222870. We will deal with your enquiry as soon as possible.

Work gets on the way

WORK has started this week with contractor Bardsley Construction making the first moves to prepare the site with the aim of starting the building process in earnest early in the New Year.

The school’s netball courts have been converted into staff car parks and a hoarding will go up around the existing visitors’ car park where the Sixth Form facility will be built.

Alder Grange head of school David Hampson says: “We are delighted to see builders on site this week and the first signs that part of the process is finally under way because the Sixth Form represents one of the most positive developments in the education of Rossendale’s young people for many years.

“The school will offer a specifically developed curriculum, which will meet needs of students — one that is not offered elsewhere in the valley. This will mean fewer students having to travel out of the valley to colleges in Bury, Burnley and Accrington.

The major building work will start on January 4 and is expected to last for 12 months. The school’s first Sixth Form intake will be housed in temporary accommodation until the construction process is complete.