Plans for London Road campus transformation
Thursday, 11 March 2010
workers on the construction of the Great Hall at London Road, University of Reading
'This project is the largest investment in an education department in the UK in recent years. As a result, we will boast facilities that will be second to none'
The University has announced details of its plans to transform the London Road campus into a new environment for teacher training.
The London Road campus was founded as the central Reading home of the University over 100 years ago. Later this year, it will undergo a £30 million sensitive redevelopment centered around the creation of a new home for the University's Institute of Education, which is the largest trainer of teachers for the region.
The major works programme will start in the summer of 2010 and take a year to complete. It will involve the conservation of the historic facades of many of the original cloister buildings as well as major internal refurbishment to create state-of-the-art teacher training facilities. Supporting infrastructure work such as a new electricity sub-station, new gas and water piping, new boilers for each building and renovation works of many of the buildings including the Great Hall are also key components of the scheme.
The cloister buildings will be refurbished to create dedicated spaces for the teaching of subjects such as music, PE, drama, languages, the sciences, ICT and art. There will be a refurbished social and catering facility for staff and students, the refurbishment of the original gymnasium, a dedicated Students Union office, administration support and a resource centre, as well as lots of green space.
Professor Andy Goodwyn, Director of the Institute of Education, said: "When the London Road project is complete, we will be training over 1000 teachers right in the heart of Reading, with the benefit of excellent transport links to our hundreds of partner schools locally and across the region.
"This project is the largest investment in an education department in the UK in recent years. As a result, we will boast facilities that will be second to none, an attractive campus with lots of green space set in a central location with good communications. We will be well equipped to play a key role in training future teachers as well as providing postgraduate study opportunities for many established teachers and heads in the area. Although we will, of course, be sad to leave Bulmershe, the prospect of returning to the original home of the Institute is very exciting."
The Institute of Education has very broad expertise in the field of education. It is ranked as the number one place to train primary school teachers in the country and ranked amongst the UK's top ten teacher training providers. The Institute is also a pioneering provider of the Early Years Professional Status, boasts a unique Theatre Arts and Education Deaf Studies programme, attracts students from across the globe to study at Masters and PhD level and produces outstanding research in the field of education. The Institute plans to relocate from the University's Bulmershe campus in time for the new academic year 2011/12.
A public exhibition of the University's plans is on display in the London Road entrance to the campus and is open to the public Monday to Friday, 10am-3pm.
More information about the future of London Road can be found at www.reading.ac.uk/education