Members of Darland school’s Eco Group recently visited the construction works that are ongoing at the school to build a new 2 storey science block and ICT rooms.
Year 10 pupils Ellis Davies, Ryan Thornhill, Cain Martin and Alys Jones were met on site by Wrexham Council’s project officer Nick Batemen who gave them a tour of the works undertaken so far. The youngsters saw that the steelwork is completed including stairs and first floor deck. Underslab drainage is also complete along with the ground floor concrete slab. Brickwork and blockwork has started and is ongoing.
The pupils also visited the new long jump pits that have been put in and put forward ideas for an area of land that will be landscaped once works have been completed.
The new block has been designed along ecological lines, involving natural heat storage and rainwater harvesting. Adjacent to the building site, the Eco Group are currently working on a new ecology field site where students from the school can engage in fieldwork as part of their science lessons.
An ecological survey of the school found evidence of otter activity in a ditch close to the site. Otters are naturally curious animals and may try to enter the site during the evenings. As the site is a working this would pose a threat to the otters so to prevent this happening a fence has been put up to prevent access which will be removed once all works are completed.
The pupils visit the site every month and parents are kept informed of the progress of the works via the schools newsletter.
Improvement works at the site undertaken to date include a toilet refurbishment, woodwork repairs and painting, replacement of roofing, extension of the school boundary fencing and alterations to the SEN unit and relocation of the head’s room.
Works are being undertaken by Harry Faircloughs and are part of a £20 million building and improvement programme taking place at three schools, Darland, the Maelor in Penley and Ysgol Bryn Alyn.
