Revealed – ambitious plan to rebuild school (From Cotswold Journal)
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Revealed – ambitious plan to rebuild school
10:42am Thursday 17th January 2013 in News
ARTIST’S IMPRESSION: How Shipston High School could look if a multimillion-pound rebuilding project gets the go-ahead
AN ambitious multi-million pound project to completely rebuild Shipston High School is being launched.
The huge redevelopment to include a new teaching block, sports hall, lifts and all-weather pitch could cost up to £14 million.
Since it converted to an academy in September last year, the school has made a bid to the Department for Education for £1.4million in funding for the first stage of the five-phase project.
If funding is granted, a new teaching block with six classrooms will be built along with new toilets, offices and storage space to cater for increased pupil numbers, with work starting as early as the summer.
The school on Darlingscote Road only has room for 388 pupils, but with 436 currently on its roll, teachers have been forced to squeeze pupils into smaller classrooms and other areas of the school for lessons.
Headteacher Jonathan Baker said he was really excited about the redevelopment.
“It’s a huge project,” he said.
“There’s quite a few new housing developments which will increase our numbers. Everybody realises there’s a need in Shipston for the school the grow.
“The whole school will be on two levels with lifts. For the first time we will be able to take children who are disabled. We are hoping we will get funding for the new teaching block in March.”
Phase two of the project will be to build a £2million new fourcourt sports hall with a dance studio and classroom on school land at the back of the Shipston Leisure Centre.
The school is in early discussions with Sport England to fund it while Warwickshire County Council has agreed to fund the school’s redevelopment.
“We know from community sports groups we have spoken to that this will be a popular new facility for Shipston and one that really will benefit the whole community,” said Mr Baker.
“This would be the first such a facility in the Shipston area.”
The final phases of the project will include the gradual demolition of the entire school building to make way for new teaching blocks with only the original school hall, canteen and kitchen kept. There are also plans for anall weather pitch which will be built next to the new sports hall.
A public meeting will be held at the school on Thursday, February 7, at 7pm to showcase the proposals.
