Willmott Dixon has broken ground on the 拢40m transformation of Outwood Academy Kirkby in Nottinghamshire, to deliver a secondary school and sixth form that will replace the existing 1970s buildings with a modern facility for 900 pupils.
Designed by ADP Architecture, it will have purpose-built classrooms for science, drama and technology; outdoor facilities will include an all-weather pitch, multi-use games courts, and play areas. The facility will be powered by a combination of air source heat pumps and solar panels.
To ensure continuity of education, construction will follow a phased approach. A temporary teaching block will be used alongside existing sports facilities until the new main building is ready for use in the 2028/29 school year. Once the new school is complete, the existing buildings will be demolished to make way for the final external sports areas.
Outwood Academy Kirkby is Willmott Dixon鈥檚 third school for Outwood Grange Academies Trust, following the completion of Outwood Academy Danum in Doncaster and Outwood Academy Hemsworth in Wakefield.
Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said: 鈥淲illmott Dixon has a strong track record of delivering sustainable schools across the country, including the UK鈥檚 first Passivhaus Plus school for the London Borough of Sutton. Aligning the new Outwood Academy Kirkby with the DfE鈥檚 latest output specification will help ensure the building is fit for the future. Much of the social value we deliver throughout the construction phase will be focused on helping prepare local students for their own future careers.鈥�
Last month the Department for Education (DfE) named 23 contractors for its 拢15.4bn 萝莉原创 Framework 25 for the school rebuilding programme in England. Willmott Dixon was among these.
Willmott Dixon鈥檚 growing DfE education portfolio includes the recently secured 拢39m Hopwood Hall College redevelopment in Rochdale, the 拢20.7m Durham Academy in County Durham, and Tarleton Academy in Preston. The company also built Brian Clarke Academy for the DfE in Oldham in 2023 and is currently on site building the Wigan & Leigh College campus redevelopment.