Rise Carr conversion underway
September 1, 2007 6:00 PM
Work on the conversion of Rise Carr School is well under way. The target date for completion is March 2008. The cost of conversion is £2.4million.
The converted school will house the Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) and the Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) unit.
These establishments educate children who cannot attend a mainstream school. They cater for pupils who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion, those who cannot attend school because of medical problems, pupils who have been assessed as being school phobic and teenage mothers.
The new headteacher, currently head of the PRU in Northumberland, has been appointed.
The Lib Dem North Road Councillors, Mike Barker and Fred Lawton, have some concerns about the new establishment, because of poor standards at the current PRU in Darlington. They also want to see some community use of the new building. They met with the Council team responsible for the conversion work to discuss these things.
The Council are making genuine efforts to address the problems identified at the current PRU. They have given assurances about the control of the pupils in the new building. PRUs are now run by management committees and there must be community members represented on the committee. So the management side of the new school looks promising.
However, the amount of use the local community can make of the new buildings has not been agreed.
The conversion includes a new large hall, used as a dining area and for indoor activities. Fred and Mike have asked that this, and other rooms, be made available to local people at weekends and in the evening.
They hope the new facilities could include community day use, a library, computer training and a luncheon club.
The North Road Community Partnership has asked for a new entrance to be made into the building from the North Park side, linking the building with the community park.
The Council said, "Community Engagement was a key theme for the new management of the PRU and further discussion will take place once the new headteacher is in position".
We hope these discussions will prove fruitful and that the local community will gain some benefits from the conversion of this lovely old school.
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