Teaching tower washes the school blues away

2:47pm Friday 7th December 2001

A REVAMPED £400,000 teaching tower has been officially opened at Beaconsfield High School by Dominic Grieve MP.

The MP for Beaconsfield was taught a thing or two by Year 8 pupils at the school who spoke to him about their history projects on Friday.

The teaching tower makeover means that problems with leaking, rotten windows and water leaking down the stairs will now be washed away.

Dave Preston, deputy headteacher at the school, in Wattleton Road, Beaconsfield, said: "Dominic seemed to really enjoy himself. He really got stuck in speaking to the pupils. If he had stayed any longer I think I would have offered him a job."

He added that the £400,000 grant for the refurbishment from Buckinghamshire County Council had made a huge difference to the teaching tower block.

Mr Preston said: "It was built in the 1960s, the windows were rotten and water leaked making a river of water down the stairwell.

"Now we have new windows, there are even carpets in the classrooms and it doesn't sound like a herd of elephants if pupils are moving around doing group work. It's made a big difference to everyone and it is much appreciated."

Former Beaconsfield mayor Malcolm Dunlop and Frank O'Hare, who worked on the project, also turned up for the opening.