Top girls' school's drive for language unit funds

By nicola taylor newsdesk@essexchronicle.co.uk

A CHELMSFORD school has launched a major fundraising drive to find £2.5m needed to build a Languages Centre.

The three-storey extension at Chelmsford County High School for Girls will ensure its own students, those from the town's primary schools, plus the local community get the opportunity to learn modern foreign languages in a state-of-the art facility.

Planners have given the go-ahead for the centre, which will have six standard-sized classrooms, plus five tutorial rooms, four of which will have mobile partition walls so they can be turned into two classrooms.

There will also be a computer suite, a large conference room plus an "internal street" which can be used for activities such as creating a French market, or hosting a German "Dragon's Den".

Deputy head at the Broomfield Road school, Dayne Owens, said: "The provision of this facility is particularly important given that the school is a Specialist Language College taking a lead role in supporting local primary schools with the Key Stage 2 National Languages Strategy.

"The centre will allow us to develop our outreach work with local primary and secondary schools.

"We organise events such as a Language Day for Year 9 students from nearby secondary schools to encourage higher take-up of GCSE language courses, training days for primary-school teachers and enrichment days for primary-school students.

"The frequency and number of participants of these events are currently restricted by the lack of suitable accommodation."

The school hopes work will begin on the centre in autumn 2011, but in the meantime a dedicated committee of parents and governors are doing all they can to tap into funding sources.

The school runs a parent covenant scheme and cash from this will kick-start the fund.

The facilities will be available for the local community to use at the end of the school day and weekends.

Mr Owens added: "Such a substantial project requires the school look to new funding streams while maintaining its successful parent covenanting scheme.

"The school welcomes any offer of sponsorship. Local businesses could have a room or part of the building named after them."