£12m school extension project set to start

Work on an £11.8m extension to a Birmingham school is due to start in the next few weeks.

The project at Saltley Academy in Belchers Lane will include upgrading the existing facilities, creating new classrooms, and providing an additional 40 places.

The scheme has been designed by Acivico, the Birmingham-based building services specialist. It will also act as project manager for the work, which is due for completion in September 2020.

Saltley Academy, a secondary school within the wider Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust, has capacity for 210 students per year.

The work will enable it to cater to 270 students per year, plus the additional 40 in the resource base.

Space to the rear of the school complex will be transformed to house a two-storey standalone building. New multi-use-games-areas will be created alongside additional car parking. Refurbishments will be carried out within existing buildings and the science laboratories, and technology provision will all be refurbished.

The school will continue to operate as usual during the work.

Ryan Turner, education account manager at Acivico, said: “The project is part of the wider transformation of the Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust. Acivico has been working alongside school stakeholders and Birmingham City Council to help develop and improve educational facilities across the region.

“The work we are overseeing at Saltley Academy will create 22 additional new classrooms for general use, a 40 place SEN provision, refurbish elements of the existing buildings, and provide state of the art multi-use-games-areas.”

Pete Weir, headteacher of Saltley Academy, said: “The Academy is going from strength to strength in both the academic progress and the personal development of our students. This new building will be a very important step in how the Academy can continue to serve the community and expand the number of students to benefit from the excellent work of our staff here.

“Both staff and pupils at Saltley Academy and within the wider Washwood Heath Multi Academy Trust will benefit from this work. Our school continues to flourish and build on solid foundations of respect for each other and the world around us.

“By creating a building and environment we can be proud of, that is fit for 21st century use, we are ensuring Saltley Academy has a robust future for generations of students to come.”

Work will be undertaken by Balfour Beatty working in partnership with Acivico.