Temporary block to aid school rebuild

A temporary school building to replace one closed over safety concerns should be ready by September, it has been confirmed.

Mercia Academy, formerly William Allitt School, in Sunnyside, Newhall, Derbyshire, shut to its nearly 600 students with just hours notice in November, due to structural issues with the building.

The temporary structure will be placed on the school's playing fields while the old complex is demolished and rebuilt.

The Lionheart Educational Trust, which is set to take over the running of the site, said it was aiming to have the new school open by the 2027-28 academic year.

The 588 students went through a period of home learning after the closure and some have had to travel miles for alternative facilities.

The temporary school is being made out of more than 130 prefabricated modules at a factory in Yorkshire and will then be craned into place.

The foundations, including the infrastructure for the school, are set to be added in early April and the temporary structure should be up by July.

It will include 17 classrooms along with a library, dining and assembly hall, three design and technology rooms, two ICT suites, a drama studio, five science labs, two music rooms and two art rooms, along with a series of offices, group rooms, a kitchen and toilets.

Kath Kelly, chief executive of the Lionheart Educational Trust, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that on her first due diligence visit to the old school she witnessed "buckets everywhere".

She said: "I am hugely excited to be able to see its development moving ahead.

"I am absolutely confident these students will be in a new school which is fit for purpose and in a learning environment which will enhance the quality of their education."

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