Pupils and staff at a Hatfield school are celebrating after receiving planning permission to begin a £6million transformation of their facilities, alongside a £3.3million project to upgrade school buildings.
After a nine-year wait, Onslow St Audrey’s School will finally be getting started on its capital building project.
The school received planning permission from Welwyn Hatfield Council on October 5 for a state-of-the-art sports hall with four badminton courts.
The project also includes an all-weather 3G pitch and a new science block.
It has been made possible by the school selling off a strip of land between a playing field and the railway line for housing, which has generated the funding.
As part of the planning permission for new school facilities, the school also gained permission for the 87 new homes.
There will be 12 one-bedroom homes, 58 two-bedroom properties, 15 three-beds and two four-beds.
A new roundabout will provide access to the development where Old Rectory Drive and Link Drive meet.
The school currently has two main entrances, the location of which will be retained with a new one-way system to reduce congestion outside the school.
A new road will run around the western end of the existing school building to provide access to the new school hall and staff parking area.
The school has also been working with Hertfordshire County Council to look at expanding the school roll to deliver much-needed school places in Hatfield.
The school will receive an additional £3.3million to develop the school buildings to meet the demands of more pupils.
This funding will be used to deliver additional car parking on the school site for staff and visitors, a learning resource centre for pupils, increased dining room capacity, refurbishment of outside multi-use games areas, internal refurbishments of existing teaching spaces and the construction of four new classrooms.
Headteacher David Bullock said: “It has taken an awful long time to get to this point and a great deal of effort has been invested by all involved.
“Fundamentally this will transform this school and give our learning community the outstanding facilities that they all deserve.
“This a really exciting time for everyone at Onslow St Audrey’s.”
Building work is due to start in 2019 and be completed ahead of the increased pupil numbers, which will rise from 150 in Year 7 to 180 pupils in September 2020.
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