“We suspect we will retain our sports hall, but very little else": What Government cash means for Wellfield Academy

Leaders at Leyland’s Wellfield Academy say the school could be almost completely rebuilt thanks to Goverment cash.
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The Academy is one of three schools in Lancashire announced this week in the Government’s £1bn third phase of the School Rebuilding Programme.

>>>Click here to read about the announcement.

The Endeavour Learning Trust (ELT), which runs Wellfield Academy said it has been “working hard” to make a case for the school to be included, having had Tarleton Academy – which it also runs – included in the first phase.

Wellfield AcademyWellfield Academy
Wellfield Academy

What happens now?

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The next phase of development for Wellfield will involve further surveys to establish if any of the current school building are worth retaining and how much of a complete rebuild the Academy will be entitled to.

The spokesman said: “We suspect we will retain our sports hall, but very little else. The new buildings will be located on another part of the existing site

and shouldn’t interfere with the smooth running of our existing school.

"We will also be very mindful of the impact on our neighbours and careful planning will ensure that the new buildings will be an improvement for everyone in the local community.

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"Obviously, we take our role as a centre for the community very seriously and these new facilities will also enable us to provide improved opportunities for all our primary partners along with a continued and ever developing out of hours’ community provision for the good of all.”

How many schools are benefitting nationally?

In total, 61 schools will be rebuilt as part of this announcement.

There are 11 schools in the North West, 10 in the North East and six in Yorkshire and the Humber, with those in South Ribble the only schools named in Lancashire.

Secretary of State for Education, James Cleverly, said: “Our School Rebuilding Programme is already making a difference to the lives of pupils and their teachers. It is creating greener school sites that are fit for the future and that local communities can be proud of.

“We know how important it is to have high-quality school facilities. That is why we continue to invest billions in our rebuilding programme.”