School set to be demolished and rebuilt

Work on rebuilding a school to give pupils “the best start in life” is expected to begin later this year.

Riverside Primary School in Seacombe is one of two schools in Wirral, Merseyside, set to be redeveloped after funding was agreed in 2022.

In a video publicised by Morgan Sindall Construction (MSC) who will be delivering the new project, pupils described needed to wear coats inside the current school building when the heating was not on.

The school’s headteacher said the new school, off Brighton Street, will “make a huge difference” to pupils.

There are currently 210 pupil places at Riverside for children aged four to 11 with 34 nursery places.

A further 16 places are funded by Wirral Council for children with social, emotional, and mental health needs.

The school’s two existing buildings will be demolished and replaced with a single two storey building, with temporary accommodation in place during the construction.

Public feedback will be the next stage in the project before applying for planning permission with new images giving the first indication of what it might look like.

The new school is set to be built later this year and will reopen in September 2026.

Anthony Cain, of MSC, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the new school would work for the benefit of staff, pupils and parents rather than making do with the school as it currently is.

Steven Gregory, a director at the firm, added: “Creating state-of-the-art facilities like this help to give children the best start in life.”

He said it was working with Wirral Council and the Department for Education to deliver a new school “tailored to pupils’ needs, helping them achieve their full potential”.

Riverside headteacher Christina Lahive said the school was “the beating heart of the community” and praised the school’s foodbank being incorporated into the new designs.

She said: “We can’t wait to see it come to life and know it will make a huge difference for our pupils.”