‘Topping out’ ceremony held to mark progress of new building for the Grange School, Runcorn

Apr 26 2012 by Sam Yarwood, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

THE thought of a new Grange school building in Runcorn has caused such excitement that the people behind the project have thrown a party.

Staff and pupils at the Grange School are now seeing their new building take shape, which along with the refurbishment of Wade Deacon High School, is part of the Halton Local Education Partnership Programme.

The project began in April 2011 and is due to be completed by April next year.

To celebrate the progress made so far, construction company Galliford Try and partner Halton Borough Council held a ‘topping out’ ceremony on Thursday, April 19, to mark the day the highest point of the building was completed.

The event saw the bedding of the last block of masonry, and the placing of an evergreen tree upon the structure to symbolise growth and bring luck.

The idea of a ‘topping out’ ceremony is a tradition that can be traced back to Scandinavia – the event is a point where the scale of the project can be clearly seen and is recognised as a significant milestone.

When fully opened, the Grange will accommodate 900 secondary pupils, 420 primary pupils, 80 infants and approximately 200 staff.

The innovative design uses the idea of a ribbon of classrooms, grouped into zones for learning, wrapped around the central ‘heart space’.

Each zone has a learning rich area between the classrooms which is top lit, providing opportunities for the school to develop different ways of working.

Bob Merriman, of Galliford Try, said: “We were delighted to be able to hold this ceremony with our partners and celebrate the achievements we have reach on this project so far.”