Our new school building was opened in 2013 with four classrooms to facilitate the 80 children that attended school at that time. There were further rooms within the school that were purpose built to use as a library and IT suite with a DT room to facilitate space for the Art and DT curriculum.
Fast forward five years; pupil numbers had increased by almost 50% so space in school was at a premium and what was the library and IT suite had now changed into a classroom with the library now in the school corridor
We need more space was the cry …. How? was the reply ……
What about some decommissioned railway carriages and turn them into our new library and a wellbeing hub?
That’s a good idea, how do we do that?
We need to get some help from companies who would be willing to give of their time and resources to help us create these spaces, preferably as a social values contribution ….
There was no budget; we needed to apply for funding grants and fund raise within school.
We are a region that is steeped in railway history. Locally to our school we have Shildon National Railway Museum, (the Locomotion). Hitachi Rail is based at Newton Aycliffe. Transport is taught as part of our national curriculum in school.
School made contact with a construction company and asked them for their help to clear the ground in readiness for the carriages. They also contacted some of their contractors to help with the project too. One of school’s governors works for a national railway company, we asked if they could help in laying train tracks for the carriages to sit on. Progress was being made in getting contractors on board to help with preparing the groundworks, getting pipes laid to run electricity cables through. Solar panels were installed to make the carriages self-sufficient. Architects were engaged, drawings and designs were pulled together to create two spaces that would work for the school brief.
Working through COVID lockdowns and the fallout from that in regard to the scarcity and increase in costs of materials; workforce and businesses struggling, then after three years of planning, designing and constructing the project was launched on 22nd March 2023 by local children’s author Anne Fine. A great day for all those people who gave of their time and resources to the project.
Our children now have two incredible spaces. A library to build their love of reading and a well-being hub for us to keep mentally healthy!
We ‘dared to dream’ and look at what happened …..
Listen to what some of our children had to say about ‘D2D’ – (Dare to Dream)
