Today Rebecca Harris, along with local Essex County Councillors Beverley Egan and Andrew Sheldon, visited Cedar Hall School to see the work being done to replace the temporary classrooms with a brand-new permanent building.

The new block is a £4 million Government investment administered by Essex County Council and is being built by construction firm Morgan Sindall. The work is due to be completed by the end of the summer holidays and gives the school new state-of-the-art classrooms and facilities. When complete, the upgrades will enable the school to teach an additional 80 students in a high-quality environment tailored to the requirements of its pupils.

Scheduled to be ready for the September 2023 term, the new development will replace the temporary classrooms with 4 general classrooms, an Art room, a combined Hair & Beauty / Textiles classroom, a combined Construction / Mechanics classroom, Library, Staff Room, Changing Rooms, 2 Staff Offices / Meeting Rooms, 3 Group Rooms, stores, toilets and cloak areas. Within the main school, an existing Staff Office and Resource room will be also remodelled to enable the Hall to be extended to provide additional space.

The new learning facilities will be entirely carbon neutral and Rebecca saw the solar panels installed on the roof to cut energy bills. Everyone was asked to sign a panel of the modern insulating cladding that will play a key role in the energy efficiency of the building. Cedar Hall School is set to achieve an EPC rating of A*. An energy-efficient building fabric, photovoltaic panels on the roof and an air source heating system will help the school to achieve its sustainability goals. 

Rebecca Harris MP commented:

“We are blessed with two excellent special schools in Castle Point, Glenwood and Cedar Hall. I was impressed with the design and quality of the build. This new block will improve the learning environment of the pupils at the school for many years to come.”