Investment means top class facilities for academy students

The scheme is part of the Government’s Priority Schools Building Programme which is the successor of the former Building Schools for the Future.

A new three-storey building will boast specialist facilities for up to 900 students.
Amenities will include nine science labs, a dance studio, specialist classrooms, a sports hall and a learning resource centre.
The school will be fully fitted out with the latest IT equipment and new furniture.

Construction began in March last year and the new school is due to open in September.
The existing buildings will then be demolished to make way for a school garden, a multi use games area and car parking.

Head teacher Jane Bailey said: “This is the last school in Blackpool to have this kind of money spent on it, and it needs this investment to move forward.
“We want better outcomes for our children and this building will enhance our abilities to deliver better quality teaching and learning.
“The building is a blank canvas for us and there will be lots of potential to personalise it, using stencils of famous quotes for example which relate to learning.”

Are you a former pupil?

Past pupils are being urged to put forward their ideas for a time capsule being buried as part of the development.
They will also be invited to the opening ceremony, and the school also intends to hold weekly open days once the new building is ready.
Margaret Beaumont, BFET hub facilities manager, said: “All the students are very excited about the new school, and we’ve done tours so they see it at different stages of being built.”