The Willink School, Burghfield Common unveils new building

A new £3m building has been unveiled at a secondary school.

Chairman of West Berkshire Council, Jeremy Cottam, opened the new two-storey building at The Willink School in Burghfield Common.

The £3m building, known as ‘B Block’ by staff and pupils, was completed in 2022 to meet the increased capacity requirements of 75 more pupils coming from a nearby housing development.

Headteacher, Nicolle Browning, said: “B Block is already part of the fabric of Willink.

“Pupils absolutely love the extra space, not only in terms of classrooms but getting from class to class comfortably through the wide hallways and the benefit of the air conditioning in the summer.”

Former headteacher Peter Fry led the construction and attended the opening ceremony.

The building features seven new classrooms, a humanities office, a history seminar room, a central store, bathrooms, an English office, three science classrooms, enlarged changing rooms, two refurbished social science classrooms, plus expanded accommodation for pupils with special educational needs.

Twenty extra car parking spaces have also been added to the school site.

West Berkshire’s executive member for children, education and young people's services, Heather Codling (Lib Dem, Chieveley and Cold Ash), added: “This is an impressive project that has enriched the learning and teaching experience of pupils and staff immeasurably.

“After just a year, it is hard to imagine Willink without the wealth of space and facilities it offers.”

The project was paid for with council funds, a ‘basic need’ government grant and S106 money from developers’ contributions.