Plans for Woodham Academy’s multi-million pound rebuild have been rubber-stamped by councillors.
Proposals for the state-of-the-art, three-story facility were unanimously approved by Durham County councillors this week.
The new school – expected to open in 2024 – will be made up of teaching buildings and sports facilities, and will be situated to the South-East of the existing buildings, which will later be demolished.
The new ‘green friendly’ school – which has been developed to new Net Zero standards – will include solar panels across its entire roof.
The sports building at the new school will house a four-lane swimming pool, four-court sports hall, activity studio, fitness room and dining area.
A redevelopment of the school’s facilities is described as much-needed, as the current buildings are at the end of their lifespan.
Danny Morgans, deputy head teacher at Woodham, said: “Providing the highest quality of education, given the constraints of the building, can prove challenging during periods of inclement weather.
“Rooms can often be unavailable due to flooding issues and this has a detrimental impact on students’ learning.
“The proposed new buildings will accommodate students in a variety of modern classrooms and specialist spaces.
“They will deliver significant operational benefits by minimising movement time around the site and provide state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and will offer an attractive learning environment to deliver the school curriculum, all of which will contribute to enhancing student’s learning.”
Councillors heard the new buildings – which will be developed by national construction firm Galliford Try – will provide a more energy efficient building, reducing carbon footprints and creating a more sustainable environment.
Mr Morgans added: “It’s extremely important for the project to commence on the planned start date.
“The timelines have been carefully considered to ensure that the new school buildings are open and all resources have been moved to allow a smooth transition for students in September 2024.
“This is an exciting opportunity to develop a new school building that will bring an educational environment for the young people of Newton Aycliffe into the 21st century.”