Work is soon to begin on the next stage of a £17.5M extension and refurbishment project which will provide hundreds of new school places in the Shepshed area.
The next few months will see the former Shepshed High School building transformed into a 630-place school for St Botolph’s CE Primary School, expected to be completed by spring 2022.
The school will gradually increase places (20 per year) in the next six years from 280 to 420 pupils before increasing further to 630 in the following few years.
We are looking forward to seeing the work progress on the new premises for St Botolph’s.
Ensuring we are providing more school places for children of all ages and abilities is a key priority for us and this scheme will help us meet growing demand for primary school places in Shepshed.
Person:Councillor Deborah Taylor, county council cabinet member for children and familiesSt Botolph’s remodelled premises will include two halls, a science lab/art studio, and a food technology room, along with new outdoor play equipment and two full-sized rugby pitches.
St Botolph’s headteacher Emma Pepper is also planning a soft play/sensory area for younger pupils and those with special educational needs.
Emma said: “We are so excited at the opportunities the move to our new premises opens up to our children. As much as we all love the current St Botolph's building, we have been outgrowing it now for a number of years and just can't fit any more children in! It's great to be such a popular school in the local area and this new school building will give us more space than we could ever have dreamed of. It will be a long time before we're anywhere near full capacity, so we will have so much freedom to utilise the space available.
“Currently we are in the process of choosing flooring and colour schemes for our themed corridors. Later this month I am meeting with designers about the 2 libraries we will have over the two floors which will have a real wow factor as they sit at the heart of the school.”
The St Botolph’s project is part of a larger scheme to redevelop the campus funded by the county council and a Department for Education grant.
The transformation of the Shepshed schools’ campus will help meet increasing demand for school places arising from new housing developments in the area, as well as the need for further places for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The final stage will see the Department for Education (DfE) build a new 50-place school to be called The Bowman Academy on the current St Botolph’s school site for children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. This is planned to open in September 2023.