Work is currently underway to create additional classrooms at a Bury St Edmunds school which will help it reach its full capacity of educating 1,200 pupils.
Two new teaching blocks are being being built which will provide extra areas for teaching, along with staff rooms and break out areas at the Sybil Andrews Academy, on the town’s Moreton Hall Estate.
It’s being created by Barnes Construction who orginally built the school back in 2016 who have been carrying out a programme of enabling works in preparation for the main work to start.
This has included creating new hard play areas, along with alterations to paths and paving.
They have now moved on to start construction of the first of two new teaching blocks.
The scheme also incorporates an expansion to the previously completed external sports facilities to include an extra multi-use games area.
Concertus Design & Property Consultants is project managing the build on behalf of Suffolk County Council as well as providing a design service which includes architecture, interior and landscape, structural engineering and building services.
Project chiefs, local councillors and students and staff all visited the site to mark construction starting in earnest with the excavation of the foundations being carried out.
Gordon Jones, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Education and Skills, said: “The new development will support the continued development of Sybil Andrews by providing a range of additional accommodation.
“This includes specialist teaching spaces, classrooms, larger staff room, an additional food service facility plus external areas.
“Another smaller teaching block will be completed in 2020, enabling the school to expand by 600 places to a capacity of 1,200 students.”
Trenica King, headteacher at Sybil Andrews Academy, added: “This is another exciting milestone for our school.
“The new education block will further develop our specialist teaching rooms and provide more space for our new Year 7 students arriving in this September.
“We would like to thank everyone who has been involved in this project for their hard work and commitment.”
Work is now underway to erect the steel frame on the first block which will be complete for September this year.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here