A NEW era of education for children in Halwill is on the horizon after county councillors last week approved funding for a long-awaited new £1.6-million primary to replace the village?s small Victorian school house. The school has been campaigning for more modern accommodation for many years, and its dream is now set to be realised within three years. The purpose-built four-classroom school will be constructed a mile and a half away from the existing school on land next to the Halwill Junction village hall in the 2007/08 financial year. Devon County Council?s executive committee met last week to give the green light to an ambitious three-year capital programme for school improvements worth more than £113-million across the whole of Devon. Headteacher David Jones said everyone at the school, including the pupils, were ?absolutely elated? about the prospect of moving to a new modern building. He said it had been an ?incredible achievement? to secure the funding for a new state-of-the-art school. ?I am particularly proud of the governors and the hard work they have put in,? he said. ?It will raise standards and be a benefit not just to the school but also to the community.? The school house was built in 1849 and for some time has been in a deteriorating state and considered inadequate for the needs of modern teaching. Devon?s schools chief, John Hart, said the school building improvement programme would make a real impact on learners across Devon. ?It will ensure that these high priority school projects can proceed and we can look forward to developing new priorities to ensure our young people learn in facilities fit for the 21st century,? he said. Cllr Hart said the massive programme would give a tremendous boost to the local economy and help to provide jobs in the building trade across Devon.
