Caroline Ansell MP visits Summerdown SEN school as project hits key milestone
On Thursday 11th November, the MP of Eastbourne and Willingdon, Caroline Ansell, attended a steel signing ceremony to celebrate the progress that’s been made at the Summerdown SEN School, which is currently under construction in Eastbourne.
Other guests who joined Caroline Ansell MP at the steel signing ceremony include the executive head teacher of Southfield Trust, Remo Palladino, and Morgan Sindall Construction’s area director Guy Hannell as well as staff and students.
After being appointed as the main contractor for the Summerdown school project, Morgan Sindall Construction’s Southern Home Counties business has reached this key checkpoint on time and is on course to be finished by autumn 2022.
The new school will help fulfil the need for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school provision within Eastbourne and create immense social value for the children and families that will benefit from the facilities.
Summerdown will create 135 local school places for children aged five to sixteen with autism, complex learning and medical needs. 22 new classroom facilities will be built as part of the project, each equipped with bespoke specialist equipment to aid mobility and learning.
The finished school will include a hydrotherapy pool, sensory rooms, food technology rooms, science labs and landscaped gardens. Morgan Sindall Construction is committed to not only delivering first-class SEND school facilities, but also enriching the communities that sit at the heart of each scheme, with its site team and wider project partners engaging in various social value initiatives within the area.
The site, which is on land adjacent to Broadwater Way in Hampden Park, is being delivered for the Department of Education (DfE) and will be managed by the Southfield Trust on behalf of East Sussex County Council.
Caroline Ansell, Member of Parliament for Eastbourne and Willingdon, said: “To see this brand-new SEN school for our town up out of the ground and making such progress is very exciting.
"This is a big investment in education in Eastbourne and I am proud to have been involved when it was first put to ministers, and now to attend the steel signing ceremony.
"I was impressed with the construction work taking place, but I can’t wait for it to be finished and see the first new pupils going through its doors. These places are vital in the campaign to give every child the best life chances.”
Guy Hannell, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “We’re really proud to be hosting MP Caroline Ansell amongst some of our other special guests at the Summerdown school project. This visit really illustrates the value this facility is going to create and the important role that it will play in the community as a centre for SEND excellence.
“The Summerdown School will provide a number of invaluable social benefits for Eastbourne, both upon its completion and during the whole process of the build. At Morgan Sindall Construction, we’re committed to supporting the local area as much as possible, including through the use of local suppliers, tradesman and recruitment.”
Morgan Sindall Construction has a strong track-record in delivering high-class SEND facilities across the south, including at Lexden Springs and Glenwood School
- For more information about this news release please contact Edward Hawkins at Influential on 0161 932 1083 or email [email protected]