SEND school a 'beacon of good practice' after £3m refurb
THE first phase of a £3million transformation at a previously overstretched specialist school in Rotherham for children with complex needs has been completed.
Hilltop School in Maltby originally hit the headlines in 2023 when teachers said they had been forced to provide care and education in small ‘cupboard-like’ classrooms and portable cabins not fit for purpose.
Yorkshire Children’s Charity in partnership with Nexus Multi Academy Trust, have completed the first phase of the pro bono project to transform the special educational needs school on Larch Road which supports 180 children with complex needs.
The first phase was officially unveiled at a celebratory event and site tour, attended by key contractors, consultants and developers involved in carrying out the project, including main contractor, Henry Boot Construction.
Hilltop supports children and young people aged 2–19 with severe and complex learning difficulties and was previously featured in the BBC’s SEND Help documentary in 2023, which highlighted the crisis facing the sector and the urgent need for better facilities and inspired the ambitious project.
The charity rallied support from more than 50 contractors, consultants and developers to carry out the project, with work being led by GMI, B+K, Severfield, HBC, Pierre Angulaire, Cartwright Pickard, Triton, McLaren Property, Stainforth Construction, RPP, BAM and RBA.
Delivered within a 15-week programme, the milestone marked the completion of extensive internal reconfigurations, creating four new classrooms, with associated WC and kitchenette facilities, and staff spaces, to replace the former temporary, cramped buildings with modern, purpose-built and accessible learning environments aimed at significantly enhancing the experience for pupils.
Yorkshire Children’s Charity's initiative The Great Yorkshire Build – shortlisted for the 2023 Charity Awards – has been designed to improve outdated, insufficient, and inadequate facilities at many of the county’s Special Educational Needs and Disability schools.
Founder and chief executive of Yorkshire Children’s Charity, Charlotte Farrington, said: “Hilltop School has been our biggest and most ambitious Great Yorkshire Build to date, and the way the Yorkshire property industry has rallied behind this project is nothing short of phenomenal.
“The children at Hilltop finally have the supportive, nurturing environment they deserve, and their teachers now have the tools and spaces they need to do their job.”
Warren Carratt, chief executive of Nexus Multi Academy Trust, said: “Demand for special school places has never been higher, so this work will create more high-quality choice for many more families and will give us a site that is a beacon of good practice across the county.”
Further phases will include a newly built rebound centre – an area designed to host therapeutic spaces, which will be transformational for pupils with complex special and educational needs.
Ian Gresser, head of pre-construction at Henry Boot Construction, said: “Completing the first phase at Hilltop School is a fantastic milestone for everyone involved.
“We’re incredibly proud to have been the first contractor on site to kickstart this project and to see real progress already taking shape.
“The collaboration, skill, and generosity of our team and supply chain partners has been outstanding – helping us to create spaces that will genuinely make a difference for children, teachers, and families across the region.”