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Condemned school to be rebuilt by September 2028

Ruth Bradley
Politics reporter, BBC Somerset
Dan Ayers
BBC News, Somerset
BBC White sheeting covered scaffolding around a school building in a playing field at dusk with the lights on in some neighbouring classroom buildings and two wooden gazebos on the fieldBBC
Haygrove School's main building was built in 2020 and closed in August 2023

A Somerset school which has been partially closed for nearly two years due to safety concerns is going to be completely rebuilt on a new site.

Haygrove School in Bridgwater told parents on Tuesday that the Department for Education had formally confirmed the school's move and said it had been designated a "priority project".

The school said the "substantial investment" would see new buildings aiming to be ready by September 2028.

Most of the children have been learning in temporary classrooms after the main building was condemned in August 2023.

The letter to parents said: "This marks a significant milestone for our school and the Quantock Education Trust following an intense period of lobbying for improved facilities for our students and staff."

"This substantial investment in the Bridgwater area promises to positively impact local families for generations.

"The new site will feature carbon-neutral, state-of-the-art facilities and resources, providing a long-lasting, enhanced learning environment that supports both academic and personal growth."

Parent Siobhan Wilson, who has twin daughters in year eight, said her children would receive the whole of their secondary education "blighted" by the temporary classrooms.

an aerial map showing the school's current site in a red circle with the new proposed site shown to the west on the edge of the town in another red circle
The Queenswood site is on the western edge of Bridgwater, within Haygrove's catchment area

"They were just about to start year seven when the school was closed," said Ms Wilson.

"The teachers have done their best - absolutely none of it is their fault - but they're lacking sports facilities and the other facilities they would've had in their lovely new building."

"With them talking about 2028 for opening it's very unlikely that my two will see it, let's hope they build this next one properly."

"I do think it has had a bigger impact than it has been appreciated on the children, I really do," she said.

Haygrove School sign with a red brick wall. There's steps up towards a car park and then a building in the background.
Haygrove has more than 1,000 students aged 11-16 years old

An inspection by the Department for Education (DfE) found Haygrove's main building, which was constructed in 2020 by Caledonian Modular, was unsafe due to issues with structural integrity and "poor workmanship".

Its sudden closure led to some children missing lessons or being forced to learn at other sites, ahead of temporary classrooms being installed.

Education Minister Stephen Morgan had confirmed he was "committed to rebuilding Haygrove School" during a visit last December.

With the condemned building so close to the temporary classrooms, there were concerns it would be too noisy and unsafe for students to continue to learn there if the school was rebuilt on the same site.

The new Queenswood location is a greenfield site within the school's catchment area, which was previously considered by the school for development in 2010.

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