Patchway Community School rebuild proposals: Artist’s impression of the main entrance to the school.Plans for a replacement main building at Patchway Community School have been revealed, along with a proposed implementation timeline that shows the new accommodation opening in “spring 2026”.
As previously reported, it was announced in July 2021 that Patchway had been selected to receive funding through the government’s School Rebuilding Programme. Since then, Olympus Academy Trust, of which the school is a member, has been working with South Gloucestershire Council and design consultants to draw up detailed plans.
The proposed scheme involves demolishing the existing school and building a highly sustainable, new secondary school on the same site, maintaining the current capacity for 1,080 pupils. The existing sports hall, playing fields and all-weather 3G pitches will be retained.
It is foreseen that staff and students will “decant” into temporary modular accommodation on the site in “spring 2024”, at the start of a two-year phased build period. The temporary accommodation will be located on the playing fields to the south of the current school and will have temporary pedestrian routes and cycle parking. The existing science and DT blocks will be segregated from construction works and temporarily retained in use by the school, until the new school is occupied.
A spokesperson for Olympus Academy Trust said:
“We are really excited that plans for the new school are at a stage where the contractors are ready to submit the planning proposal and are ready to give all stakeholders the opportunity to view and comment on these plans.”
Information about the plans and design is now available to view on a dedicated website hosted by construction firm Wates:
🔗 Patchway Community School Consultation
Drop-in event
Parents, neighbours and other members of the public are invited to attend a drop-in style exhibition at the school on Monday 13th March 2023, between 3pm and 6.30pm. The exhibition will be held in the school hall adjacent to the main entrance off Hempton Lane.
On the day, members of the project team will be on hand to talk through the proposals and answer any questions.
If you are unable to attend, questions may be submitted through the consultation website.
“Maximising opportunities”
In a letter sent to parents and neighbours, consultant co-ordinator Avril Baker writes:
“The single new school building will replace a stretch of existing, end-of-life facilities and nestles in the centre of the site, respecting residential boundaries whilst maximising the opportunities for external play, amenity and learning spaces. The main entrance is clearly visible from Hempton Lane to the north, with the south-facing courtyard opening up to the wider site beyond.”
The letter continues:
“The new school will bring a number of benefits to the community and local area including opportunities to hire some of the school’s facilities outside of school hours, such as the main hall, drama and activity spaces in addition to maintaining the current high levels of usage of the sports hall and pitches.”
Have your say
A statement on the consultation website says:
“Your comments and views are important to us. Please have your say on the proposals by filling in our online feedback form.”
Responses must be submitted by Wednesday 22nd March 2023.
Following the consultation exercise, it is anticipated that a full planning application will be submitted to South Gloucestershire Council at the end of March 2023.
Construction phasing
The construction works will be undertaken in phases to minimise disruption to the existing school:
- Phase 1 – Temporary accommodation installation (followed by existing school staff and pupils decant into modular accommodation)
- Phase 2 – New school construction
- Phase 2a – New school external works construction
- Phase 2b – Decant into new school and final external work
Indicative timeline
Note: These are target dates and may be subject to change as the project progresses.
- Spring 2023: Submission of planning application
- Summer 2023: Determination of planning application
- Spring 2024: School decants into temporary accommodation
- Spring 2024: Construction commences
- Spring 2026: Planned school opening date
Planning application delayed
UPDATE added 15th September 2023.
As we head into autumn, there is still no sign of a planning application being submitted.
Dave Baker, CEO of Olympus Academy Trust, writes in this week’s parent & carer update:
“We are still awaiting news of when the new building will start and when the move into temporary accommodation will happen but we hope to be able to provide an update in due course.”
Upcoming meeting
UPDATE added 5th January 2024.
From a letter sent to parents/carers of Patchway Community School students on 3rd January 2024:
“We are waiting for confirmation of a meeting with the Department for Education about the rebuild programme in the next month and will be able to provide you with an update about progress and the project timeline at that point.”
Change of contractor
UPDATE added 13th May 2024.
From the Olympus Trust Parent/Carer Update dated 27th March 2024:
“We are working with new contractors on the Patchway rebuild programme, following the withdrawal of the previous contractors. The current plan is for temporary accommodation to be on site from Easter next year [2025], with the new building ready for occupation by September 2027. It is frustrating that there is a delay because of the change of contractor but we are also relieved that the funding has not been redirected to prioritise the many schools with unsafe concrete. Further updates will follow as they become available.”
Rebuild update
UPDATE added 25th September 2024.
New headteacher Stephen Kneller said in a video update published on 20th September 2024:
“Over the last couple of weeks myself and Dave Baker [Olympus CEO] … have had meetings with two contractors around our new build. We’re now down to the final two contractors, working with the Department for Education. We’ve got one meeting left, next week, where after that point we’ll select our preferred contractor and we’ll work with them over the next few months finalising the plan for the newbuild school, looking at internal plans, where to put different kinds departments … as well as what the landscaping outside the building is going to look like – to mean that there’s social areas as well as areas for sport and recreation.”
“The plan at the moment is for contractors to be on site from next June [2025], setting up temporary accommodation, and then the building looks like it’s going to finished early 2027. That will be a fantastic opportunity for not only the school but also the community to really have a world-class facility and a real hub for the community.”
BBC Breakfast feature
UPDATE added 13th October 2024.
Patchway Community School featured in a piece on BBC Breakfast this morning which looked at why so many schools on the government’s School Rebuilding Programme are yet to see a start in construction.
'The lights go out when it rains' – hundreds of schools waiting on builders (BBC News)
"Patchway Community School in Bristol was selected for the School Rebuilding Programme in 2021, but is still waiting to be assigned a construction company."https://t.co/EYqUC9phLq
— Patchway Journal (@PatchwayJournal) October 13, 2024
In the piece, Dave Baker, chief executive officer of Olympus Academy Trust, says the cracked ceiling in the school gym, like other areas of wear and tear, is “not worth replacing, because the whole thing is going to be knocked down within the next two years”.
He said the rebuilding process had been delayed by at least a year, after a company that had signed up to rebuild Patchway pulled out.
“The contractors, it seems, felt that they couldn’t deliver the building to the specification for the money that was available. That’s our interpretation of what happened,” he said.
“I feel that there are young people and their families who have been let down – and that’s not OK.”
Mr Baker now hopes to have a new contract in place in the coming weeks, and a new school with “the best facilities in the area” in 2027.
Read more: ‘The lights go out when it rains’ – hundreds of schools waiting on builders (BBC News)
