Secondary school expansion to create 150 pupil places

DEMAND: How the Kingswood Secondary Academy expansion will look

Work is set to begin on the £4.4m expansion of a Hull secondary school following increased demand for places.

Kingswood Secondary Academy, on Wawne Road, Bransholme, opened in January 2013 under Hull’s Building School’s for the Future (BSF) programme.

It was initially built to accommodate 1,350 pupils aged 11 to 16 but now, as the demand for places has grown, a three-storey extension will be built on land to the rear of the existing school, creating a further 150 places for students.

The standalone building will include 12 new classrooms, two offices, a new dining area and servery including indoor and outdoor seating, toilets and plant rooms.

A further 72 parking spaces will also be created for cars, electric vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles.

The project is being delivered by Hull Esteem Consortium LEP as part of Hull City Council’s ‘Pupil Place Planning’ project and work will begin early this month.

Sewell Construction has been appointed to carry out the work, with completion expected in spring 2022. The school will remain fully operational throughout the project.

Kingswood Academy is sponsored by the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), established in 2008 by the Greensward Charitable Trust, which now has a national presence educating more than 33,000 children across primary, secondary and special sectors.

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 programme, along with culture and leisure regeneration projects, including Hull New Theatre the Ferens Art Gallery and Beverley Road Baths.

Gavin Barley, General Manager of Hull Esteem, said: “It’s fantastic to revisit one of our original projects and provide further expansion.

“Kingswood Academy is one of the highest performing academies in the country and recently secured 'World Class Schools' status. Demand for places is therefore great as a result.

“We’re really proud to once again use our local and trusted supply chain partners to develop and deliver this project, which will benefit the school and its students and staff for many years to come.”

Councillor Shane McMurray, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services at the council, said: “I’m delighted this scheme is now underway and it follows several other school expansion schemes across Hull, to increase capacity, choice and provide quality provision for pupils in the city.

 “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.”