Building blocks in place for Cardinal Wiseman

The £26million rebuild and refurbishment of The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School is a step closer to completion following a ceremony on the construction site last week.

School staff joined councillor Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council, councillor Patricia Walker, cabinet member for Children and Young People, head teacher Michael Kiely and representatives of Ealing’s Local Education Partnership, Future Ealing, in marking the completion of the new building’s structural frame by placing the last of the concrete.

The project is part of Ealing’s reduced Building Schools for the Future programme. In addition to the construction of the new block, some old buildings will be demolished and the remaining blocks refurbished to modern standards. The school grounds will also be landscaped and there will be significant investment in new information technology equipment.

In the first phase, a new four-storey block is being built on Greenford Road. It will house the school library, sixth-form area, chapel, sports hall and café. As well as providing a valuable new resource for the school, the new building will be available for the local community to use.

Construction work started in January 2011. The new block will be complete next August with the remaining refurbishment ending in December 2013.

Councillor Julian Bell, Leader of Ealing Council, said: “This impressive building will be a fantastic asset for the school and it will also provide an important civic space for local people in Greenford. My thanks go out to the staff and students of Cardinal Wiseman who are doing such an excellent job of keeping up the school’s high standards whilst accommodating such a major construction site.”

Councillor Patricia Walker, cabinet member for Children and Young People, said: “The size of this impressive new building reflects the scale of our ambitions for young people in Ealing, and I hope that it shows how much we are willing to invest in their education and future prospects.”

Ian Woosey, Director of Future Ealing, said: “This is another significant milestone in the progress of the new school. Soon, students of The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School will benefit from being taught in a modern new facility, which retains some of its original character and best features, brought up to modern standards.”

For more information on investment in Ealing schools, go to www.ealing.gov.uk/bsf.