Pupils to get new school after years of waiting

Pupils in Harlow will finally get a new school building after several years of disruption.

Children at Sir Frederick Gibberd College spent two years working in a temporary building while their new school was being manufactured in a Midlands factory.

During the Covid pandemic, 198 separate pieces were brought to the Tendring Road site, and assembled onsite "like Lego" before opening in 2021. However the building was closed two years later due to concerns about its structural resilience in extreme weather.

Harlow Council's planning committee on 4 November unanimously voted for a new design "much better than its predecessor" to be built on the existing estate.

The new plans for the school, which is run by Burnt Mill Academy Trust, will provide capacity for 1,700 pupils, including a 1,200-place secondary school and a 500-place sixth form.

Supporting the plans the Trust's director of estates, Claire Tyler, described their plight as "nothing short of unconventional" and added she was "immensely proud of the resilience shown by our students and staff".

She said approval would be an "important step" to give them a permanent site.

Pupils are currently learning in temporary buildings.

Caledonian Modular, which manufactured the old building, went into administration in 2022.

Planning committee member Councillor Kay Morrison described the plans as "a huge improvement".

She said: "Isn't it wonderful that this replacement is going to be so much better than its predecessor?

"It probably feels to the school that they've been waiting for quite a long time but it will happen and it's on its way."

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