Pupils from Derby’s Akaal Primary School have had an exclusive look at their brand new school building during site tours led by G F Tomlinson.
98 children were welcomed on to site over two days as construction work progresses and given a ‘behind the scenes’ tour to see the classrooms, library and main hall as they take shape.
The new school will provide 420 pupil places for children aged four to 11 to meet the educational needs for children in Normanton and surrounding areas. As well as 14 classrooms, SEN provision and a new library area, pupils will also have access to more than 7,000m2 of outdoor playing and learning space and 2,200m2 of habitat areas.
Located on Grange Avenue, the building will be complete later this summer, opening its doors to pupils in September 2018.
Julie Fellowes, headteacher at Akaal Primary School, said: “Moving into our new school is an important milestone in our journey. Children make the best progress when they are inspired to learn and the school that G F Tomlinson has built for us provides that.
“After our first visit in March, the children were able to see the shape of their new school for the first time and I was inundated with ideas from them about the amazing learning opportunities we could provide. Our whole community feels truly blessed to have been given this opportunity and we give thanks to all those who have supported us this far.”
Akaal Primary School, Derby’s first Sikh school, opened in temporary accommodation in September 2015 and currently has pupils enrolled from Reception to Year 3. The new facilities have allowed the school to almost quadruple its intake of students.
Andy Sewards, managing director at G F Tomlinson, said: “Work on site at Akaal Primary is progressing well with both the external and internal works now at an advanced stage.
“This is the second opportunity the children have had to see the building; they have been able to ask lots of questions about how their new school is shaping up and what new facilities they will have to use.
“Delivering projects that have a lasting and positive impact on the local community is at the heart of our ethos at G F Tomlinson. This new building will allow the school to flourish and provide more school places in the coming years.”
The school is G F Tomlinson’s seventh project to start on site under the ESFA Regional Framework.
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