Work begins on rebuilding village primary school

Work to build a new primary school serving a North Yorkshire village has started.

Funding has been provided to rebuild Michael Syddall Church of England Primary School, Catterick, by the Department for Education through its school rebuilding programme.

One of the village's eldest residents, Sheila Crick, 93, visited the school on Tuesday to mark the start of work, accompanied by some of the school's youngest and eldest pupils.

School headteacher Alison McHarg said: "It's been a long journey to get to this point, but we're now really excited that work has started."

She continued: "To have such wonderful facilities will be incredible for the children and for the local community.

"We are very grateful to local residents for their patience and all their support."

Plans for the new school, being built by the Bowmer and Kirkland construction firm, were approved by North Yorkshire Council in November, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Under the scheme, the existing building will be knocked down and replaced with a new single-storey school with a new car park and playing fields.

Councillors were previously told the move would increase opportunities for children, including improved special educational needs (SEN) provision and upgraded sports facilities.

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