A £60.6m deal has been secured which will see two of the borough's secondary schools and a special school rebuilt. CHRIS JOHNSON takes a look at the plans.

SCHOOL may be a distant memory for many youngsters across the borough as they enjoy their annual summer holidays.

But while lessons are finished for now, work has already begun on three of Lewisham's schools which will see a total of 2,750 pupils benefit from 21st-century facilities.

Crofton Secondary School, Manwood Road, Brockley; Forest Hill Secondary School, Dacres Road, Forest Hill, and Greenvale Special School, currently in Perry Rise, Forest Hill, will all be rebuilt over the next two years.

A deal on the schools was struck between Lewisham Council and French design-and-build contractor Bouygues Education Ltd under the Government's Private Finance Initiative.

A 30-year contract has been signed which will see Bouygues build, fund and operate the schools and ensure the buildings are maintained and repaired.

The new plans will see capacity increase at Greenvale and Crofton in a bid to cater for an expected increased demand for school places.

Greenvale, which will relocate to the former Laurel Brook elderly people's home site in Waters Road, Catford, will increase its places from 70 to 100.

The school teaches children with the most acute educational needs ranging from severe learning difficulties to autism.

Crofton will cater for an extra 300 pupils, from its current limit of 900.

A two-storey teaching block will be rebuilt around the school's sports hall which will be refurbished.

Forest Hill, which specialises in performing arts, will retain its new sports hall and modern art block but the main school buildings will be demolished and replaced by a four-storey teaching block.

Cabinet member for children and young people Councillor Robert Massey says the new attractive surroundings will encourage pupils and raise standards.

He said: "The designs we're seeing are about good architecture, allowing natural light in and making the buildings more attractive.

"These schools are just the start of a larger programme to rebuild or refurbish all the borough's secondary schools to give our young people the best education possible."

How the money will be spent

  • FUNDING will be split with around 85 per cent of the £60.6m of Government cash being spent on the secondary schools and 15 per cent on Greenvale Special School.
  • New facilities at Greenvale will include larger classrooms to meet the needs of pupils aged 11 to 19 with severe educational needs. There will be a hydrotherapy pool, a gym and a sensory garden. When the school relocates a link will be developed with nearby Forster Park Primary School. Work is due for completion in August next year.
  • Forest Hill's new four-storey design will enable more open space for pupils. Classrooms will be grouped by subject around a central atrium, which will be used as a performance venue. The final completion date should be August 2008.
  • Crofton School will feature an attractive main entrance, designed to cope with community usage and which will maximise natural light and ventilation. The majority of teaching facilities will be complete by December next year. The second phase will see a final teaching block completed for the lower school in December 2008.