Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stevenage, and Hertfordshire County Councillor Terry Douris were invited to celebrate the topping out ceremony for the new Marriotts Lonsdale School in Stevenage. They joined the head teachers and students from Marriotts and Lonsdale Schools and the Balfour Beatty team to mark the construction milestone.

Stephen said, "I am delighted the government is paying for this school to be rebuilt as part of our massive £250 million infrastructure investment in Stevenage schools, local hospital, housing and jobs. Bringing Marriots and Lonsdale together is an exciting project and I am proud we are delivering this new school for generations of Stevenage children. We will now be watching closely to assess improvements in exam results and pupil attainment."

Councillor Douris said: “Marriotts Lonsdale is a nationally leading edge co-location of a mainstream secondary school with a special school for children with physical and neurological impairments. It is right and proper that I should acknowledge and pay tribute to MP Stephen McPartland for his unfailing support without which the funding for this great development is unlikely to have been forthcoming. The school will bring wonderful educational benefits for all, both now and in the future, and a great new sporting facility for the whole community.”

The total cost of the project is over £80 million and is being developed in partnership with Balfour Beatty under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI). The school is scheduled for completion this summer with opening in the new school year.