£10m for first step in school rebuild

The bad news is that Littlehampton Community School (LCS) lost out to Bognor Regis Community College in its bid for 35m of funding to build a brand- new "superschool" on the site.

But the good news is that LCS will also get its new school built over three phases, the first of which has already been promised 10m of funding by the county council.

In addition to the funding for the two secondary schools, a number of primary schools in both towns could also receive extra funding to improve their buildings and facilities.

Speaking to the Gazette on Tuesday, head teacher at LCS Jayne Wilson said: "Even if I have to build it brick by brick myself, we will have a new school at Littlehampton."

Mrs Wilson said that although she was very disappointed that LCS had not got the full 35m in funding up front, the silver lining to the cloud was the surety that with the 10m, work would begin on the new school build at Littlehampton.

"To say I'm gutted is an understatement," she said. "We are extremely disappointed, but we've got 10m and the architect is looking at what we can build first with that money, that can then be added to in stages two and three of the process, which I hope will be completed within five years.

"This is not about refurbishing the existing buildings, it's a totally new building that will transform learning for future generations and to the benefit of the whole town and not just the children who are taught here.

"This news is both hugely disappointing but also really positive as it means that we will eventually have two brand new schools in the area, both fit for teaching in the 21st century."

Both LCS and the school at Bognor were singled out for development as they are in the coastal strip, an area that the county education authority considers to be a priority area for investment.

Mark Dunn, West Sussex County Council cabinet member for children and young people's services, faced the tough decision of choosing which of the schools would get the 35m.

The council even went back to the Department for Education and Science to ask if the money could be split between the two schools but was told that there was money for only one.

Mr Dunn said: "We are very excited about the plans, which will mean that by 2010, more than 4,000 pupils will be able to benefit from significantly improved buildings and facilities.

"The plans for the secondary schools are impressive, but I am also keen to make sure the benefits extend to primary-age pupils in schools where the buildings and facilities need to be enhanced."

He added: "The plans for a new school at Bognor Regis speak for themselves, but the investment and initiatives we are working on in Littlehampton are just as important.

"The town is already benefiting from a flagship SureStart children's centre in Clun Road and ground-breaking work to join together expertise from a number of agencies working with children and families. But this isn't enough.

"I am determined to secure the investment and the facilities Littlehampton deserves."

The rebuilding is part of the government's Building Schools for the Future initiative, which aims to transform secondary schools across the country.