Demolition crews reduce Coventry's Chace Primary School to rubble

[dutchman]

Site in Willenhall's Robin Hood Road will eventually form part of housing development



Demolition crews have started work knocking down the former Chace Primary School in Willenhall.

Bulldozers have moved in to reduce the former classrooms to piles of rubble.

Once demolition is finished the site in Robin Hood Road will be put up for sale.

Coun Ram Lakha (Lab, Binley and Willenhall) said: “The site will be part of a future housing plan but there are no firm proposals so far.”

Chace Primary School opened in 1953 and educated several generations of Willenhall children before closing in 2004.

The primary school closed because Coventry City Council education bosses said pupil numbers in the area were falling and there were too many spare places.

At the time the school was gradually improving after a period in special measures.

Willenhall Wood Primary School in nearby St James Lane closed at the same time and pupils from the two schools were moved to a new school, Willenhall Community Primary School, in St James Lane.

Among former pupils sad to see the building go is Amy Walton who left the school not long before it closed.

She has fond memories of former head Mrs Carter, the summer holiday child care scheme, smiley face potatoes at lunch and her year five teacher Mr Hay.

She said: “He understood me when I had family problems at the time and treated me like an adult but looked after each student and cared for them.

“I remember one of my friends accidentally locked us in the classroom by just lifting the door handle not knowing that would happen and he made sure we were all calm and of course fixed the problem where we rang the fire brigade to help us.”

Since the closure the former primary school has been used as a base for music teachers working for Coventry Performing Arts Service and to teach pupils expelled from mainstream schools but in recent months the building has been standing empty.

The neighbouring Willenhall Employment, Education and Training Centre is not affected by the demolition.