Wellfield Academy
Redevelopment Proposals
September 2025
Scheme overview
• The redevelopment of Wellfield Academy is being delivered by the Department for Education as part of their School Rebuilding Programme. The purpose of this programme is to improve the condition of existing school buildings and Kier Construction has been selected to design and build the new school.
• The site currently operates as Wellfield Academy, a Secondary School which accommodates up to 830 pupils (11-16 years) and 95 FTE staff. There will be no change to the school capacity (staff & pupils) as a result of the redevelopment.
• The proposed redevelopment includes the demolition of 5 of the existing school buildings which are in a poor condition.
• A new 3 storey teaching block (approx. 4,240sqm floorspace) and a new 2 storey commons block (approx. 2,140sqm floorspace), linked with bridge at first floor, will be built in the centre of the site partly on the existing sports field and partly on the site of the existing school buildings.
• New external canopies will be provided, housing solar panels and providing for outdoor dining and an outdoor classroom. There will also be a new bin store and external plant equipment.
• The sports hall block and the outdoor sports courts will be retained as existing.
• There will be new and reconfigured hard and soft landscaping, and an area of new sports field to replace that which will be lost will be created following the demolition of the existing buildings.
• There will be no change to vehicular / pedestrian access points into the site.
Scheme overview
• Car parking provision at the site will be expanded and redesigned to provide a total of 79 parking spaces, an increase of 9 spaces over the existing (68 standard spaces, 2 accessible spaces). This will include 4 accessible spaces and 16 spaces with electric vehicle charging points (EVCPs).
• Cycle parking provision at the site will include 76 covered cycle parking spaces, an increase from the existing number (30 spaces).
• The new buildings will use timber frames in their construction to minimise embodied carbon and will be designed to have enhanced thermal performance to minimise energy demand. They will use ultra- low carbon and renewable energy solutions including ground source heat pumps and solar panels on the roofs. The project is aiming to achieve Net Zero Carbon in Operation.
• The new buildings will meet minimum standards for daylight to provide a high-quality internal environment and minimise the use of artificial light; and they will mitigate overheating risk in warmer seasons and minimise heat loss during colder seasons through the optimisation of glazing area, shading, glass performance and window layout. They will adopt energy efficient systems and fittings such as high efficiency LED lighting coupled with occupancy and daylight controls.
• The existing school will remain operational throughout the works. The existing maintenance access off Carlton Road will be utilised during construction to separate the construction and school traffic.
• We will be submitting the planning application in Autumn 2025. Subject to receiving planning permission the school redevelopment is planned to commence on site in Spring 2026.
Demolition of existing buildings
Dark grey = retained block
Light grey hatched = demolished block
Site layout as proposed
Retained playing field area and sports courts
Retained sports block
Ground source heat pump enclosure
Ground source heat pumps to be located underground
2 storey commons block
3 storey teaching block
Bin store and external plant equipment (substation etc.)
Sprinkler tank
Expanded and redesigned car park
New area of playing field
Outdoor classroom canopy and cycle shelter
Outdoor dining canopy
Retained playing field area
Visual facing south-west
Visual of main entrance
Visual of link bridge and teaching block
Visual of teaching block
Building elevations
Buff coloured brick is proposed for the buildings.
Brick will be robust and durable, and will provide a sense of solidity and permanence to the proposed buildings.
Aluminium standing seam cladding is proposed for the link bridge and at roof level.
Ground floor plan
Kitchen
Dining hall
Staff room
Practical and general classrooms
Main entrance
Assembly hall
Drama studio
First floor plan
Second floor plan
Solar panels to be placed on the roof
Plant room and stair access to roof
Rooflights
General classrooms Science labs
panels to be placed on the roof
Rooflights
Solar
Visual of general classroom Visual of science laboratory
Visual of library Visual of dining hall
Construction Phase 1 (17 months) - Main New Build Works
School access via Yewlands Drive
School use existing parking
Kier site access via Carlton Road
On site contractor parking provision
Construction access to the site will be via Carlton Road.
Site delivery permitted times will be MondayFriday, 7:30am to 5pm. Deliveries will be planned to avoid peak school hours of 8:309:15am and 2:30-3:15pm.
Site access gates will be unlocked and managed by the site gate operative from 7am (ahead of arrival of planned deliveries).
A delivery vehicle holding area will be formed on site allowing all deliveries to be directed onto the site upon arrival, avoiding the risk of vehicles waiting on public roads / highways.
School access will continue as existing from Yewlands Drive.
Temporary Carlton Road access and school crossing
The existing gates on Carlton Road will be repurposed to provide a separate vehicle and pedestrian access gate.
The entrance will have additional lighting installed to provide adequate illumination. All lights will be sympathetically installed so as not to cause glare to adjoining properties. Lights will be switched off out of hours apart from those providing background or safety illumination to the entrance area.
A safe crossing point will be installed across the entrance road for the school within the site.
A wheel washing facility will be put in place to prevent mud & dust on local roads. Road sweepers will be used to supplement this when required.
Temporary parking restrictions and route to Carlton Road
Plan showing proposed temporary changes to parking restrictions required on Towngate, Westgate and Carlton Road during Phase 1 construction to allow larger vehicles to access the site
Construction traffic routing via M6, Leyton Way, King Street, Towngate, Westgate and then Carlton Road
Construction Phase 2 (9 months) - Demolition and External Works
Kier site access & parking via Yewlands Drive School access & parking via Carlton Road
Kier will take over the vehicle and pedestrian entrance off Yewlands Drive.
As per Phase 1, site delivery permitted times will be Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 5pm. Deliveries will be planned to avoid peak school hours of 8:30-9:15am and 2:30-3:15pm.
Deliveries will also be planned to minimise conflict with the busiest periods of the day for the adjacent Yewlands Nursery. Kier will work closely with the nursery to ensure that there are no safety concerns whilst the Yewlands Drive access is in use by Kier.
The construction car park off Carlton Road will become the school’s car park during this phase. Pedestrian and vehicle access to the school will be via this temporary access and parking facility, including appropriate segregation between pedestrians and vehicles. The school will be responsible for management of the gates.
Construction Phase 3 (1 month) – Field Reinstatement
School access via Yewlands Drive
Kier site access via Carlton Road
During the final phase, school access and parking will revert back to Yewlands Drive.
Kier site access will revert back to Carlton Road.