Young people and families in South Swindon will soon be able to benefit from state-of-the-art facilities with a new school build in the pipeline for Lawn Manor Academy.
Lawn Manor Academy has now received the first visit by representatives from the Department for Education (DfE) to start planning out the vision for the new school premises under the government’s School Rebuilding Programme.
The School Rebuilding Programme has committed to rebuilding 500 schools over a decade across the country. These new school builds will not only support local young people by providing them with excellent learning facilities, schools that are part of the DfE programme will also be designed to be Net Zero in operation and include a wide set of adaptive measures to respond to climate change.
With plans expected to be drawn up and finalised in the next year to 18 months, it is hoped that the new school will open its doors in late 2027.
Headteacher at Lawn Manor Academy, Sandra Muir, explained, “This is a very exciting time for Lawn Manor Academy and we’re looking forward to working with the Department for Education to create a new school building that will give our pupils the best possible environment for learning, as well as facilities that we can also open up to the local community.”
“The current buildings were built in 1964 and whilst we have known that we would be part of the programme since 2022, it’s great that it’s now our turn. Whilst there’s lots to still be agreed and the whole design to come too, we’re hoping to have state-of-the-art sports and performing arts facilities, as well as a wonderful library too.
“We hope to also keep the forest school area that our staff and pupils have worked so hard to build and maintain and we want to maximise the potential that a new build offers by ensuring our facilities are multi-use and accessible to everyone.”
Lawn Manor Academy is part of the Ascend Learning Trust. Its CEO, Jane Coley, added, “This is such an exciting time for the whole community at Lawn Manor Academy. The school has been transformed under the leadership of Mrs Muir and her team, and the new school build will be transformational for the students, staff and all in the locality. The whole team at Ascend Learning Trust will be supporting the staff at Lawn Manor Academy as they embark on this wonderful project.”
For more information on Lawn Manor Academy, visit www.lawnmanor.org