Addington School nears completion

Construction work on the £4.4million single-storey block at Addington School in Woodley is almost complete. Fit out of the building is now entering the final stages, meaning the Ofsted-rated outstanding school will increase its capacity by about 50 students from September.

More young people will access the best SEND education possible in Wokingham borough at the school in Woodlands Avenue, with the school’s capacity now at around 250 students. The expansion means more young people will be educated closer to home, making families’ lives easier by reducing journey times, as well as reducing the council’s travel costs.

The building includes four classrooms, a café and social/breakout areas, will improve the lives of 50 more young people, due to the increased capacity, by giving them the best SEND education possible in the Wokingham borough. Construction of the new block follows the opening of two new multi-use games areas (MUGAs), a new sensory path and an expanded car park at the end of September 2019.

It follows the announcement of plans to build the new 150-place Oak Tree School. The free school for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Winnersh is a partnership between Wokingham Borough Council, Reading Borough Council and Brighter Future and will be operated by the Maiden Erlegh Trust.

“I’m delighted to see the Addington School expansion nearing completion and us opening its doors over the next few months,” said Cllr UllaKarin Clark, executive member for children’s services. “We’re determined to provide fantastic educational facilities for our SEND young people and with 50 places soon to be opened at the Ofsted-rated outstanding Addington, and more on the way at the new school in Winnersh, we’re providing the space to do this.”

“Everyone at Addington School is excited to see the finishing touches being put to our new building,” said Sara Attra, headteacher at Addington School. “The building will perfectly fit the needs of our sixth form students and staff as well as allowing us to provide an outstanding education to even more young people in Wokingham borough. Our sixth form students can’t wait to use the excellent facilities in their new home and we are all looking forward to the day when we can cut the ribbon and officially open the building in the new school year.”

Claire Wakelin, Studio Director at HLM Architects, added: “This expansion means that more local children are able to take advantage of the great educational offerings at Addington School without having to travel far from their homes. 

“The team worked hard to create a safe and nurturing environment that both inspires and brings a sense of place, helping future pupils achieve their best potential. Working with our partners at Reds10 also meant we were able to optimise sustainability across the construction phase. Our commitment to using the most eco-friendly materials throughout also helps ensure site longevity with minimal environmental impact.”

The construction was completed by modular construction specialists Reds10, alongside our design partners HLM Architects. Sixty to 70 per cent of the building work for the new block will be completed modularly offsite, a decision made to reduce disruption to the school and its students.

This method also reduces the number of vehicle trips required as part of the project compared to traditional construction and will help Wokingham Borough Council towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. 

Michael Ruddick, Commercial Director at Reds10, said: “It has been an absolute pleasure working in collaboration with our partners HLM, Wokingham Council and Addington School to deliver their new sixth form building. The Reds10 team are proud of the building we have delivered. While pushing the boundaries of off-site construction and providing a truly visually amazing educational space, we were able to significantly reduce the overall programme for delivery and achieve sustainable, enhanced carbon reduction features. All without compromising on the comfort of the building.”

An official opening on the new building and other facilities will take place in due course during the autumn.