An extension to St Christopher’s School is progressing well, promising improved facilities and additional places for pupils.
In order to increase the school’s capacity, the council is currently constructing a new 130-place school on the site of the former Priory Witham Academy Junior School. The new building will include 15 classrooms alongside therapy spaces such as sensory and soft play. In addition, there will be a large hall, a hydrotherapy pool and physiotherapy and medical rooms. This new site will be for St Christopher’s primary-aged pupils.
Once completed, St Christopher’s current site will become home to its secondary-aged pupils, with the current buildings being extensively redeveloped and remodelled as part of the improvement project. The revamp and build will see the school’s total capacity increase from 200 to 333.
Cllr Mrs Patricia Bradwell OBE, executive member for children's services, said:
"The council wants to ensure that all children can access high-quality education, as near to their family and local community as possible. To help achieve that, we're investing £86m in improving our special schools over the next few years.
“St Christopher’s School has experienced significant growth over the last few years, and we need to ensure there are sufficient spaces to meet local demand. Our ambitious improvements will mean more pupils with SEND can attend their local school rather than having to travel large distances for their education, which will be of great benefit to both the children and their families.”
Kyna Adkins, headteacher at St Christopher’s School, added:
“All the staff, students, parents and governors are extremely excited about the progress of the building project. Wates construction team and partners are extremely dedicated to providing us with a school that brings to life learning in and out of the classroom. Our student building project team are capturing the progress of the development and I know that the current and future students of St Christopher’s will have a first-class environment to grow and learn in. We are so grateful to the local authority for their investment in our school community and are looking forward to expanding in numbers so that more students who need us can access their local special school.”
The new school is expected to be completed by towards the end of 2023.