Work to start on £6m expansion of west Hull school

EXPANDING: How The Boulevard Academy will look

Work is about to start this month on the £6m expansion of The Boulevard Academy, which will increase capacity in response to a growing demand for places and enable the school to offer a range of new courses.

The academy, on Massey Close, west Hull, welcomed its first pupils in September 2013. It occupies the site of Hull FC’s former Boulevard ground and currently accommodates 600 students aged 11 to 16.

Now, with a growing demand for places, a three-storey extension is being built on the existing school, creating an additional 300 places.

The expansion will include new dedicated rooms for food technology and textiles, meaning Boulevard will be able to offer courses in these subjects for the first time.

There will be an extension to the existing multi-use games area incorporating an activity studio, improving the outdoor exercise spaces for students, as well as enhancing the internal PE provision.

Two specialist music rooms with four new practice areas for lessons and rehearsals will be introduced, whilst improvements to computer science facilities will add two extra suites and additional classrooms.

The project is being delivered by Hull Esteem Consortium LEP as part of Hull City Council’s £50m investment into the city’s schools, with work due to begin at the end of the month.

Gavin Barley, General Manager of Hull Esteem, said: “The expansion of The Boulevard Academy is going to open up so many opportunities for pupils, allowing the school to widen its curriculum and offer a variety of brand new courses.

“The design will enable and facilitate the school’s preferred teaching format and curriculum through a more functional layout to boost departmental relationships as well as creating a bigger space for SEN [special educational needs] support, group work and music practice, all within a purpose-built space.

“We’re delighted to be able to work in partnership with Hull City Council and our local delivery partners, Sewell Construction, once again to deliver such an exciting education facility for the city.”

‘OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS’: The Boulevard Academy

Janice Mitchell, CEO and Principal of The Boulevard Academy, said: “It has obviously been an incredibly challenging time for everyone at Boulevard, as it has been for every school in the country, but our students and staff have been fantastic throughout and I couldn’t be prouder of the way everyone has responded.

“I’m delighted that our expansion plans have finally received formal approval. This significant expansion of our facilities and provision will mean we are able to respond to the increasing demand for places at Boulevard and offer new career opportunities for our students.

“Here at Boulevard, we are committed to providing our students with an outstanding, well-rounded education to give them the platform for success and this will help us do just that.”

The expansion will also include a new library, art rooms, STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) spaces and additional general-purpose classrooms.

External works will include developing the existing car park to provide an additional 19 spaces, as well as the tarmac area of the playgrounds being increased slightly to allow for greater pupil numbers.

Sewell Construction has been appointed to carry out the works. Completion is expected in September 2022 and the school will remain fully operational throughout.

Councillor Shane McMurray, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services at Hull City Council, said: “In response to the increase in the childhood population, we’re working with schools to increase not just capacity and choice, but a choice based around quality provision.

“We want to provide the best education possible in the best learning environments possible, and this is why we are investing around £50m in the city’s schools.”

Hull Esteem is the local authority’s pre-procured framework which has led the delivery of over £400m-worth of new and improved education facilities across the city through the BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme, as well as the most recent new build of Broadacre Primary School, which celebrated reaching its half-way milestone last month, and the further expansion of Kingswood Academy.