Discussions over the completion of Cowes Enterprise College have been ongoing for a very long time, but it now looks as though one of the final hurdles may soon be in sight.
Principal, John Peckham, has confirmed that £3.4m has been secured from the Education Funding Agency.
He told OnTheWight,
“I am delighted to be able to share with you the good news that finally we have the go ahead to complete the major outstanding issues with the building and site.
“We expect shortly to begin the process of demolishing and removing the old school, landscaping this part of the site, fixing some of the main outstanding aspects of this inspirational building and generally tying up loose ends.
“The Ormiston premises team have done a fantastic job working with the Education Funding Agency, the Isle of Wight Council and Hampshire to progress things this far, so we are looking forward to rapid progress in the next few months.”
Main priorities
A contractor still needs to be appointed, but once secured, the main priorities that will be undertaken and completed will be,
- Demolition of the old building
- Landscaping works which include parking, school bus access and a sports pitch
- Roofing solutions
- General improvements including improving building acoustics
- Resolution of all outstanding snags and defects
OAT: “Stunning new academy that our students and staff deserve”
A spokesperson from Ormiston Academies Trust (OAT) added:
“We are very pleased to have secured this much needed funding from the Education Funding Agency to complete the academy’s building project. This is in addition to the money that Isle of Wight Council will be contributing.
“This budget means that we can now demolish the out-of-date old buildings and ensure that we have the stunning new academy that our students and staff deserve. This work will start as soon as we have appointed a contractor.
“This is the latest development demonstrating the real progress the academy is making on its journey to outstanding. It is going from strength to strength under the leadership of the new Principal, John Peckham, and last year’s above national average GCSE results made it the highest performing state secondary school on the Island.”
Council papers
The papers that went before the Executive in 2014 set out the entirity of works needed to fully complete the project.
