New academy building

Who is undertaking the work?

Diverse Academies Trust and the Department for Education (DfE) are currently working with BAM Construction and Gleeds to deliver this purpose built specialist academy for children with severe, complex, profound and multiple learning difficulties. The academy will eventually grow to house a total of 138 pupils with an age range of 3 – 18 from reception class to young adults. Yeoman Park Academy is a fully inclusive academy and strives to ensure that all children meet their full potential.

What will the facilities include?

The state of the art building will provide appropriate sport and recreation facilities, with an ambition to enhance facilities for the community as well as the school population.

Where will the building be situated?

The new building will be situated between the existing academy and the Manor academy to the north. Once the building is complete the existing school will be demolished and an additional sports pitch created for Leas Park junior school to the south.

The site layout aims to retain as much of the existing vegetation within the site as possible as an integral part of the landscape scheme, that also incorporates a comprehensive sustainable drainage system.

The building is located to make use of the existing site entrance and provide good access to all facilities for all users. It also sensitively addresses the surrounding area by keeping the development to a single storey at its closest boundary to existing neighbours to the east. The site layout has been developed to make maximum use of the external areas, including a variety of external spaces and four court Multi Use Games Area appropriate for students with complex needs. It also provides safe dedicated access to parking and drop off areas, as well as to cycle and pedestrian links to the main building entrances.

What will the building look like?

The building form is arranged in two teaching wings that stem from the main building spine, creating a protected courtyard, with the rear of the building form creating a link to the outdoor facilities. The building mass is varied and includes both two and single storeys, which reduces the visual dominance of the built form.

The materials palette draws on local brick tones, consisting of a mainly red brick, with areas of the façade emphasised by vertical cladding. Grey framed windows with dark brick dividing panels create an elegance to the façade proportions.

How will Yeoman Park Academy work with the adjoining schools?

Discussions with the leaders of Manor and Leas Park Schools have already taken place and the schools are fully supportive of the proposed development. Those discussions will continue throughout the planning of the new school, to coordinate the programme of works and ensure as little disruption as possible for all schools during the construction process.

What next?

Further details will be submitted to Mansfield District Council in January, with works planned to start on site in July 2023, allowing the school to relocate in February 2025. The existing buildings will then be demolished and a playing field created in its place in early 2025.

No, we will continue to operate the academy as normal, with a few changes to arrival and departures, which will be communicated with parents, carers and those concerned.

No, if your child is currently on role at Yeoman Park Academy or has been accepted and has a start date then this will also mean they have a place at the new school.

Principal – Courtney Hoop

Contact via email: CHoop@Yeomanpark-ac.org.uk or call the academy on 01623 459540

The staff will work together to ensure your child’s routines are not affected by the building works.

We are hoping to limit the impact on our pupils as much as we can, the majority of the existing classrooms and learning spaces are at the rear of the existing buildings away for the main construction site.

However it also offers an opportunity of those who are able and would like to, to look and see the progress of the new building and what the construction involves

The whole construction site will be securely fenced off from the existing Yeoman Park Academy site. Deliveries will be restricted to when they will not impact on pupils arriving and leaving or moving between Yeoman Park and Manor Academy

The construction company will be training their staff about the impact their work may have on some of our pupils, they will also put measures in place the reduce the times when loud noise is likely to occur.

However inevitably there will be some increase in noise and a close working relationship will be built to look at ways to reduce this or the time at which it needs to occur, out of school hours etc.

Yes, new minibus parking and accessible parking bays will be provided close to the entrance under a canopy.

We will be keeping all parents, carers and other concerned parties updated with progress, at this stage we anticipate construction commencing in August 2023.

All being well, pupils will be moving into the new building in February 2025.

The construction site will only be accessed by a secure gated and supervised entrance.

A safe and secure access way will be formed between the two schools.

We are working in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council, and they have requested that we increase the academy to take a number of new pupils, as such the building will be larger with additional facilities to allow for this.

Due to the new location of the academy, the entrance will allow for a much shorter access road from Park Hall Drive, dedicated minibus and accessible parking spaces, with additional spaces for visitors and staff.

Around the building there will be new play and therapy spaces. These will be divided to suit our student ages and abilities.

However they can be joined together to allow for flexible use and will include an area for forest schools, a Multi Use Games Area, soft surfaced areas and outside dining area.

Once the new academy has been constructed, the old one will be demolished, this land will then be incorporated into both the new Yeoman Park Academy site and Leas Park School.

The new academy will have a purpose built hydrotherapy pool and the building will be over two floors with a lift to access all areas for our pupils and staff.