Wirral school described as 'beating heart of the community' to be demolished and rebuilt

Riverside Primary School is one of two schools in Wirral set to be redeveloped after funding was agreed in 2022.

The school off Brighton Street in Seacombe sits in one of the most economically deprived areas of the UK. In a video publicised by Morgan Sindall who will be delivering the new project, pupils at the school also said they needed to wear coats inside when the heating wasn’t on.

There are currently 210 pupil places at Riverside for children aged four to 11 with 34 nursery places for children aged two to four. A further 16 places are funded by Wirral Council for children with social, emotional, and mental health needs.

The school’s two existing buildings will be demolished and replaced with a single two storey building, with temporary accommodation being delivered during the build programme in order to facilitate delivery of this project. The new school will be built to be energy efficient and transform the learning environment.

Anthony Cain, the bid manager at Morgan Sindall Construction, said the new school would work for the benefit of staff, pupils and parents rather than making do with the school as it currently is. The new school building is expected to reopen in September 2026.

Public feedback will be the next stage before applying for planning permission with new images giving the first indication of what it might look like. While they wait for permission, Mr Cain said: “We’ll continue our detailed design ready for the construction phase later this year ensuring we remain on programme and within budget throughout.”

Steven Gregory, North West area director for Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Creating state-of-the-art facilities like this help to give children the best start in life, and we are pleased to be playing our part. By working closely with Wirral Council, the Department for Education, and their advisors, we will deliver a new school tailored to pupils’ needs, helping them achieve their full potential.”

In the video, staff said they “had tears in our eyes because it’s just beyond what we could have ever expected.” Mrs C Lahive, Headteacher of Riverside Primary School said the school was “the beating heart of the community” and praised the school’s foodbank being incorporated into the new designs, adding: “We can’t wait to see it come to life and know it will make a huge difference for our pupils.”