bˈɪldɪŋ wʌz kəmplˈiːɾᵻd ɪnðə sˈʌmɚɹ ʌv nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi nˈaɪn, bˌʌt baɪ sɛptˈɛmbɚ, wˌɛn ðə skˈuːlz wɜː tʊ ˈoʊpən, ðə sˈɛkənd wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ hɐdbɪn dᵻklˈɛɹd—ðə bˈɪldɪŋz dɪzˈaɪn, wɪð ɹˌiːɪnfˈoːɹst bˈeɪsmənts ænd θˈɪk sˈɑːlɪd bɹˈɪk wˈɔːlz, ɹᵻflˈɛkts ðə pˈʌblɪkz wˈɛɹinəs ʌvðə lˈuːmɪŋ kˈɑːnflɪkt.
Building was completed in the summer of 1939, but by September, when the schools were to open, the Second World War had been declared—the buildings' design, with reinforced basements and thick solid brick walls, reflects the public's wariness of the looming conflict.