Work on Newark Academy's new school building marked by turf-cutting

The start of work on a £20m rebuild of Newark Academy has been marked by a turf-cutting ceremony.

Students at the academy and pupils from nearby primary schools, alongside principal Karine Jasper, were present for the ceremony this morning.

The new three-storey school will be built by construction firm Kier next to the site of the existing academy on London Road, Balderton, and is scheduled to open in January 2016. Cash for the project was secured from the Priority Schools Building Programme in partnership with the Government's Education Funding Agency.

Formerly the Grove School, it became an academy in November 2012 and is sponsored by Lincoln College, which runs Newark College.

Regarding the efforts to secure a new facility for the academy, Mrs Jasper said: "In the early stages the most difficult thing was getting people to listen.

"But now our ambition is to become a community hub that extends beyond school hours, so that groups can use it as a community facility.

"Learning and teaching is at the centre of everything we do - there'll be easy access to IT labs, every single classroom will have the best facilities and we want to follow our motto: to be the best we can be."

Pamela Durney, a parent whose three children have either studied or are still studying at the school, was part of the Save Our School group which has campaigned for improvements since 2010. It was highlighted by Mrs Jasper as having played an important role in helping to secure the academy's new buildings.

She said: "This shows what a group can do when they refuse to be put off. A group of parents formed SOS and started in 2010 by putting together a petition and speaking to the MP at the time, Patrick Mercer.

"The group was very tenacious and wouldn't let things go."

The new academy will include nine IT learning areas, a modern studio and auditorium, and larger classrooms. The new design also features courtyards, a new modern sports complex and outdoor sports pitches.

Mike Green, director, capital of the Education Funding Agency, said: "This school is among 261 in the Priority Schools Programme - and it's the one that I have been most interested in.

"The SOS group did genuinely make a difference, and Patrick Mercer used to phone me up on a fairly regular basis. Now, I can say that we are going to start building the school on Monday morning."