BREAKING NEWS: Academy Selsey to be rebuilt as '˜state-of-the-art' new school

A brand new '˜state-of-the-art' school will be built to replace the Academy Selsey buildings destroyed by fire, it has today been announced.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Nov 2016, 13:45 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 18:11 BST

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The Academy Selsey is to be rebuilt following the huge fire in August this yearThe Academy Selsey is to be rebuilt following the huge fire in August this year
The Academy Selsey is to be rebuilt following the huge fire in August this year

A primary school facility will also be built on the site of the high school to ‘complement’ the nearby Seal Primary School, which is run by the same trust.

The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT) has announced today (Monday, November 28), that it plans to build the two new facilities on the land of The Academy Selsey, where a huge fire left the majority of the old buildings unusable.

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The plans are subject to agreement from the Department for Education and West Sussex County Council’s planning committee and include top-notch new facilities such as science laboratories, art, drama and music studios and ICT suites.

Students will continue to be taught in the temporary school village on the site for two years while the new school is being constructedStudents will continue to be taught in the temporary school village on the site for two years while the new school is being constructed
Students will continue to be taught in the temporary school village on the site for two years while the new school is being constructed

Tom Garfield, head teacher Tom Garfield said: “This is the next step forward for us.

“The students, staff, parents, and members of the local Selsey community have been incredibly supportive through this very difficult period and I am proud that the development will give us all a school to be proud of.

“This is a new milestone for us and I can’t wait to see the school emerge from behind the hoardings once the plans are finalised.”

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Since the fire the 400 students had been educated at temporary sites around Selsey before last month moving into a temporary academy village, which is expected to house the students for up to two years while the main school is rebuilt.

The old school is just a skeleton now with most of the buildings unusableThe old school is just a skeleton now with most of the buildings unusable
The old school is just a skeleton now with most of the buildings unusable

David Linsell, TKAT director of education said: “The shocking destruction of The Academy Selsey in August 2016 heralded a period of real uncertainty for the local community and I am very pleased we can now confirm the future of the site.

“Our plans are ambitious but demonstrate our commitment to providing educational excellence for all children who live on the Selsey peninsula.

“Over the coming months, we will be consulting with staff and parents at both Seal Primary Academy and The Academy Selsey, the local authorities and the Department for Education and I encourage those in the local community to share their views on how they would like the site to develop.

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“Open meetings will be taking place throughout January where people can come and share their views.

A huge effort from the fire service and the Selsey community saved other buildings from going upA huge effort from the fire service and the Selsey community saved other buildings from going up
A huge effort from the fire service and the Selsey community saved other buildings from going up

“I look forward to working together over the coming months to finalise our plans.”

As well as the construction of the new secondary school, TKAT said the new specialist primary facility on the site will complement the existing Seal Primary Academy and other primary schools in the local area, ‘giving key stage one and two pupils access to state-of-the-art facilities such as science laboratories, art, drama and music studios and ICT suites’.

Full details of the proposals, as they are developed, will be unveiled at a number of meetings and released by the trust in due course, and two meetings are planned for January to give parents and residents a chance to ask any questions they have.

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The first will take place at Seal Primary Academy on Monday, January 9 2017 at 2pm and the second at The Academy Selsey on Wednesday, January 11 2017 at 6.30pm.

Head Tom Garfield chatting to students when the temporary village was completed last monthHead Tom Garfield chatting to students when the temporary village was completed last month
Head Tom Garfield chatting to students when the temporary village was completed last month

The fire was most likely caused by workmen operating on the roof, the fire service said at the time.

Melanie Snodin, head teacher at Seal Primary Academy, added: “I am delighted that we now have the opportunity to create a second to none learning environment for the children and teachers of Seal Primary Academy and the surrounding primary schools.

“It is rare to be able to provide specialist facilities such as science laboratories and dedicated spaces for music, drama and art to primary children.”

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