Headteacher 'absolutely delighted' as Dudley school chosen for renovation scheme
A headteacher at a school in Dudley has been left "absolutely delighted" after it was chosen for renovation under a Government scheme to fix crumbling buildings.
Beacon Hill Academy, on High Arcal Drive, was selected as one of 239 schools nationally to receive funding to be fixed up under the School Rebuild Programme.
And it is hoped the school will be among the first to receive an overhaul, with around 50 sites set to be renovated per year over the next five years, it is understood.
Principal Sukhjot Dhami said: "We are absolutely delighted to receive this news. The opportunity this presents will further enhance the transformational power of our trust. We very much hope that our academy is in the first 50 schools so that building can commence in 2023.”
Jo Higgins, chief executive of Dudley Academies Trust which runs Beacon Hill, said the decision will allow it to focus on the future after making "significant" investments over the years to keep the building in good condition.
"This means that we ensure that the current building inspires our young people and provides the required conditions to support our mission to deliver the very best education," she said.
"The news today enables us to look to the future and shape some incredibly exciting plans for the next phase of our curriculum development.”
Lowell Williams, chair of the board of trustees, said a new state-of-the-art building will enhance "our current provision and enable us to provide even more exciting learning opportunities".
Marco Longhi, MP for Dudley North, visited Beacon Hill Academy to congratulate the principal and the trust chief executive – as he vowed to lobby to make sure the school is one of the first to receive the revamp.
He said: "This is superb news and parents should be delighted too for their children. I have been working with the school, lobbying ministers and civil servants to ensure Beacon Hill Academy is included in the School Rebuilding Programme – so I’m delighted by this news.
"Levelling up is about making sure that talent locally is enabled by opportunities locally as well, and the rebuild of the school is critical to achieve this. There is an urgency because of the school condition, and I shall continue lobbying to make sure the rebuild is included amongst the first of the 239 nationally that the Government is delivering.”
