Survey work starts at new school

Survey work is due to start on the playing fields at Nailsea Community School in North Somerset.

The Department for Education and Skills has allocated £28.9m to rebuild the secondary school on its current site by the end of 2009.

The existing school playing fields have been identified as the location for the new school.

The surveys - to be done in two phases - will determine the best position for the new building on this site.

Initially a geophysical survey will be carried out where the playing fields will be scanned to highlight any potential underground problems.

This will be followed by a geotechnical survey which will involve drilling boreholes and digging trenches to confirm the most suitable position for the new building.

The consultants will also be carrying out a geophysical survey of the Golden Valley site, which is owned by Nailsea School, with a view to using part of the area for temporary sports pitches while the new school is being built.