Work starts on £13m academy transformation

CONSTRUCTION and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall has started work on the £13m transformation of South Shore Academy in Blackpool.

The start of work on site was marked in traditional fashion with a turf cutting ceremony.

Pupils and teachers from other schools in the surrounding area were invited to attend the event, which also saw speeches from Jane Bailey, principal of the school and Dame Dana Ross-Wawrzynski, chief executive of Bright Futures Educational Trust.

South Shore Academy is one of 12 schools being rebuilt by Morgan Sindall under the Education Funding Agency’s (EFA) Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) North West Batch which aims to provide purpose-built school buildings to those in most need of urgent repair and was awarded to a Morgan Sindall Investments/Equitix consortium in August 2014.

Plans for the school will see two new buildings constructed – a three storey main building and a single storey sports hall – with a combined floor area of almost 53,000sq ft.
 
The Trust, which was set up in 2011 following consultation with Manchester Council and the Department for Education, is a partnership of nine schools across the North West and aims to deliver a world-class education to all pupils, regardless of background.  

The PSBP North West Batch includes a total of 12 schools in Blackpool, Chester, Wigan, Manchester, Stockport and the Wirral.