[3] Built on a 9-acre (3.6 ha) site at a cost of £100,658, the new school buildings consisted of a three-storeys of classrooms and a gymnasium, assembly/dining hall, library and greenhouse.
The buildings were built around a prefabricated steel frame and modular concrete blocks clad in brick.
[8] However, a more substantial extension did not materialise for many years; in 1964, the County Council failed to obtain land off Sleaford Road which would have been used for potential future building.
[13][14][15] Bennett argued that temporary classrooms would not provide the extra gymnasium, toilets and hall which the school needed.
[12] 18 teachers from the Ruskington school wrote an open letter criticising Hall's decision,[10] but the County Council ultimately did not take up the funding in the 1976–77 year (by which time they estimated the extensions would cost £529,900).
According to The Independent, Ruskington was then a village of about 6,000 people, "many working in local food-processing factories, in agriculture or in nearby RAF bases on lowish incomes", and "very few professional families" sent children to Coteland's.
Two years later, the council's education officers suggested that some of these schools merge, close or federate to make them more economical.
[33] Following a heated meeting with parents, Watson resigned as head of Lafford in 2008,[29] and the school closed two years later.
[36] A feasibility report indicated that Aveland was not sustainable due to falling enrolment and would have to close; instead the remaining two sites would be redeveloped with £20 million of Government funding as part of the academy conversion.
[43][45] David Beams was acting headteacher for three years from 1984 to 1987 while Brian Edwards was conducting an inquiry into education across the UK.
[59][60][61] During Watson's tenure as headteacher of the federated schools, he appointed Ruth Kelly to be vice-principal responsible for the Ruskington site.