Stunning drone pictures show scale and progress of new £9m school

Drone pictures have been released showing the scale of the transformation on a former primary school site.

A new school, being built for Norfolk County Council, by Norfolk-based Pentaco Construction, will provide specialist school places for up to 94 boys aged five-16 with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

It is taking shape on the former Alderman Swindell school site in Beresford Road, Great Yarmouth.

The school will be run by Boudica Schools Trust (formerly Rightforsuccess Trust) which manages ten academies including one specialist school, Eaton Hall Specialist Academy in Norwich, which caters for boys with SEMH and is ranked outstanding by Ofsted.

The new school is part of the county council’s plan to transform special needs education in Norfolk by investing £120m to create 500 additional school places.

The programme involves building up to four new specialist schools, establishing more specialist units in mainstream schools, and working with schools to ensure they have the resources they need to provide local inclusive education.

The construction project will involve building a new block of classrooms plus residential provision for around 30-40 children and staff to live on site during the school week and avoid the need for the children to travel to and from school every day.

A parking and waiting area for taxis and mini-cabs will also be built and the school will have a playing field and multi-use games area.

The historic frontage of the original school will be retained.

County councillor Mick Castle who championed the scheme in face of some opposition said he was “very proud to see how quickly construction is going ahead for Yarmouth’s new long-awaited special school on the old Alderman Swindell site.”