Topping out ceremony at St Finian's School

Special guests were at the Cold Ash school for the landmark stage of the school's rebuilding project

PUPILS and staff at St Finian's School, Cold Ash, have been celebrating after their £4.8m new school reached a landmark stage.

Special guests have now fixed the final cedar shingles to the roof of the new hall in a ceremony known as ‘topping out'.

These were fixed by the chairman of West Berkshire Council, Peter Argyle, the headteacher at the school in The Ridge, Elizabeth Housden, the surveyor of schools for the Catholic Church Diocese of Portsmouth Hilary Foley and the concept architect for the project, Nev Churcher.

Guests from the adjacent St Gabriel's Convent, the school governors, parent teacher association, the local authority, project consultants, and contractors Warings attended to share in the celebration of the important milestone in the programme to construct an environmentally friendly new school.

The event also saw Father Danny Convery from the convent bless the new school's courtyard.

Mrs Housden said: “It has been fantastic to see our new school taking shape.

“It will make such a difference to the school community to have such wonderful facilities in such an outstanding environment.

"Everyone is really looking forward to seeing it finished.”

Managing director of Warings, Philippe Jouy, said: “We are proud to be building something which will play such an important role in this community for generations to come.

“This school will not only help shape the lives of countless youngsters but will also, thanks to its advanced design, be kind to the environment.”

The new school is due for completion in September 2011 and will see the three-storey school demolished and rebuilt as a school that will be mainly constructed on one level.