Children celebrate progress of works on new academy in Mablethorpe

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 1 December 2018

Pupils who will be moving into the Springwell Alternative Academy in Mablethorpe next year have made their mark on the building at a plasterboard signing ceremony to celebrate the final board being fitted.

The children were joined by members of the Wellspring Academy Trust, Midlands contractor G F Tomlinson and school teachers and staff to commemorate the milestone. A photograHeading 2ph of the signed plasterboard is set to be displayed in the academy once works complete and the plasterboard is covered up.

Pupils and teachers were also provided with a tour of the building to see the progress which has been made since works started in August. 

Located at the former Monks’ Dyke Tennyson College, the project includes the refurbishment and remodelling of two existing teaching blocks which are now at an advanced stage with partitions and windows installed and M&E underway. The new build extension has also been erected and the roof installed.

Once complete next summer, the academy will provide learning opportunities for children and young people who are unable to attend mainstream schools due to social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) reasons.

It will accommodate 63 pupils aged 4-16 and, in addition to specialised teaching spaces, will feature an assembly hall, SEN (Special Educational Needs) therapy room, hygiene room, fitness suite, parents’ room and multiple use games area.

Chris Flint, director at G F Tomlinson, said:

“We have made excellent progress on this project since starting in the summer and it is the perfect time to host this event. Bringing together some of the children who will move across to the new academy in Mablethorpe next year is wonderful.

“We always look for ways children and young people can make their mark and participate in the education projects we work on, and are working closely with the Trust to find opportunities to engage the school in this project. Having the pupils sign the plasterboard at this stage is a memorable way to get them involved.

“The students and teachers who will be moving into the academy next year are able to watch the building works progress every day since they are currently based in the adjacent building, but this has been the first chance for them to visit the site for a closer look at what’s happening.

“It was great to have them celebrate our progress with us and see how excited they were about their new school being built.”

Lisa Ashcroft-Day, executive principal designate at Springwell Lincoln City Academy, said:

“We are really excited to see the development of our new building in Mablethorpe, having worked closely with G F Tomlinson to create a purpose-built school to meet the needs of children in the locality area.

“Springwell Lincolnshire is committed to providing the best possible education and genuine care for children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs. Our dedicated staff are passionate about having high expectations and achieving positive outcomes for the children and 

young people of Lincolnshire. The facilities within our new school will allow us to be even more creative with our curriculum and meeting the needs of each individual child.”

The new academy in Mablethorpe is one of three new Springwell Alternative Academies in Lincolnshire due to complete in summer 2019, alongside academies on New Beacon Road, Grantham and Macauley Drive, Lincoln.

Through the Department for Education framework, G F Tomlinson is undertaking works on the three academies as part of the Springwell Alternative Academies project. Being delivered in partnership with Wellspring Academy Trust, the new academies will create more than 180 places for students aged 4-16.

Clare Stevens, strategic project manager at Wellspring Academy Trust, said:

“Progress on site has been breath-taking since works commenced. The transformation has been remarkable and it is very pleasing to begin to see the product of a great deal of planning. G F Tomlinson has facilitated the development and initial construction extremely well, including operating flexibly as our thinking has developed. These are exciting times and we can’t wait for this building to begin supporting the Trust and Springwell Lincolnshire to make a difference for our pupils and staff.”

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