Morgan starts on Croxteth school

Construction firm Morgan Sindall has started on site at the new £4.6m Croxteth Primary School in north Liverpool.

The school will provide facilities for more than 300 children, replacing an existing building.

Cllr Jane Corbett, cabinet member for education at Liverpool City Council, said: "It marks the dawn of a new era for the whole area and will help support the already excellent teaching at the school."

The school has been designed by architects 2020 Liverpool, the council's design joint venture partnership, with classrooms arranged around three central court yards, with direct access to outdoor play areas.

There will also be library, art and music rooms and an area for sport and games, a large community room and a crèche.

An allotment for growing vegetables, playing fields and space for children to eat outside will also feature.

The building aims to be environmentally friendly with a roof that absorbs rainwater and provides insulation. The school will be heated using ground source energy, in which pumps use pipes buried in the ground to extract heat.

Work is expected to be completed in October this year, after which the old school will be demolished.

The whole project, including new grass playing pitches, will be completed by spring 2012.