Derbyshire school could be without permanent home until 2028

A Derbyshire school may not have a permanent home until at least 2028.

Mercia Academy - formerly William Allitt - in Newhall, was closed due to disrepair on 17 November with the pupils split over three sites.

The closure of the school in Sunnyside was linked to electrical issues, roof faults, mould and asbestos.

Lionheart Educational Trust, which is due to take over the school, said all pupils would be moved to a temporary site in autumn 2024.

Mercia Academy and its 588 pupils are currently split over three sites including Sharpes Pottery Museum in Swadlincote, the former Newhall Day Centre and the Freemasons' Hall at Ashfield Lodge in Burton-upon-Trent.

A document seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service shows Year 7 and Year 8 students will continue lessons at Newhall Day Centre from January through to summer 2024.

Meanwhile, Years 9-11 will resume lessons in two buildings at the original school site.

In autumn 2024, all students will be taught in a set-to-be newly constructed temporary school on the Sunnyside site.

Alongside this, work will start on building a permanent new school for Mercia Academy, at Sunnyside.

The document shows students will be taught in the planned temporary school building "through to the 2027-2028 academic year" meaning a permanent school will potentially not be ready until the start of the 2028-2029 academic year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The information has come from Lionheart Educational Trust, the education trust which will take over the school from Falcon Education Academies Trust next year.

Heather Wheeler, South Derbyshire MP, said: "My understanding is that all Mercia Academy pupils are now back to having face-to-face teaching and that at each site there is also special educational needs and disability (SEND) support.

"I am continuing to monitor the situation and work with both the excellent principal and the Department of Education as necessary."

In early 2022, the first £7m phase of £20m works to demolish and rebuild the school made it into the Derbyshire County Council's budget.

Falcon Education Academies Trust took over the school from the county council last year after other trusts were found unwilling to take on the site due to issues with its buildings.

A county council spokesperson has said the authority is offering what support it can, now the school and its maintenance are no longer its direct responsibility.

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