Harborough secondary school unveils 'sensational' new £3.5 million plan in a bid to make it one of the best schools anywhere in the UK

A Market Harborough secondary school is unveiling a “sensational” new £3.5 million blueprint in a bid to make it one of the best schools anywhere in the UK.

Robert Smyth Academy is celebrating after securing the huge amount of capital funding to “supercharge” its educational performance well into the 2020s and 2030s.

The Burnmill Road school will be publishing a public consultation document tomorrow (Friday) as parents, students and the entire community are urged to have their say on the “game-changing” scheme.

Dan Cleary, the ecstatic head of Robert Smyth Academy, exclusively told the Harborough Mail: “These are very exciting times for all of us. We are so thrilled to be finally able to share this sensational news with the people of Market Harborough and beyond.

“This really is all about making a dream come true for all of us.

“We are setting out to make Robert Smyth one of the best schools anywhere in the country,” insisted Dan.

“And I am 100 per cent sure that we will do just that.”

Talking at length to the Mail about the breaking news, he said the stunning new breakthrough project will feature:

- A new state-of-the-art double-storey glass science block

- New classrooms offering at least 75 more places for youngsters

- A new £750,000 inter-action and resource base for children with special educational needs

- Over 1,000 new trees which will be planted at the school’s site over the next few weeks leading up to Christmas.

“We are determined to create a school second to none that we can all be proud of and that Market Harborough can be proud of,” said Dan.

“We have been working tirelessly day in day out to pull this off and make this happen for three years – ever since I started here in June 2018,” he added.

“I set out from the very first day I began to turn Robert Smyth into a genuinely world-class school.

“We are going to programme, design and build a brand new two-storey science technology suite.

“We place a lot of importance on physics, chemistry and biology and this new block will have best-in-class facilities,” said Dan.

“We’ll also build a superb new student restaurant.

“We will build new classrooms to boost our capacity to about 1,300.

“We’ll be able to offer 30 new places for Year 7 pupils – lifting numbers from 180 up to 210.

“And we’ll expand capacity for Year 12 teenagers by 45 up to 170 slots by 2023.

“We have been managing over subscription for the last three years and we have a long waiting list.

“So many parents want their children to come and study here.

“So it’s vital that we extend now and urgently create more room,” added Dan.

“We have got a brilliant vision for our school.

“And we will not be sacrificing one square inch of our priceless playing fields and outdoor space to carry out all this extra work.

“We will be planting 1,000 new saplings around our all-weather pitch in the run-up to Christmas because we also want to step up our ecological footprint.

“And as we offer a kaleidoscope of new opportunities, we’ll also be creating a magnificent new inter-action and resource unit for 11-18-year-olds with profound learning difficulties.

“We are here for everyone.

“And we’ll be building this £750,000 base for local students with special educational needs over by our Hammond Arboretum.

“This new facility will have 15 places for youngsters who are now forced to travel into Leicester or elsewhere,” stressed Dan.

“We are working hand in hand with Leicestershire County Council.

“The council is committed to investing in more school places in Market Harborough as well as increasing special educational needs provision.

“The county council is ploughing in this capital funding alongside our parent trust, the Tudor Grange Academies Trust.

“This is a huge vote of confidence in us – and we are very grateful to them for backing us up to the hilt.

“They are making an enormous investment in Robert Smyth – and bankrolling a massive upgrade.

“This fantastic injection of hard cash, outstanding skills and visionary talent will turbocharge our drive to give our kids the best possible education – and the best start in life.

“They are on an epic journey here – and this will be a dramatic gamechanger for them,” said Dan.

“We are publishing our public consultation document on Friday morning on the homepage of our website.

“We want everyone to give us their views on this giant stride forward.

“We are appealing to our staff, students, parents, carers and our entire community to get in touch and tell us what you think.

“You are all vital stakeholders, you all deserve to have some input into this.

“You will have until Friday November 12 to give us your thoughts.

“We will use all your feedback to inform and shape our next steps.

“Our board of governors will then hold a meeting later in November before publishing the outcome.

“We have to give all of our children the best chance of carving out an amazing career and a memorable life.

“It’s certainly not been easy keeping this incredibly-exciting initiative quiet and under wraps as we’ve been talking and pulling it together for three long years,” smiled Dan.

“But I’m just so excited that we can now at last share this once-in-a-lifetime leap forward for Robert Smyth Academy with the people of Market Harborough through the Harborough Mail.”

You will be able to make your voice heard on this dramatic £3.5 million “gamechanger” from this Friday morning on the school’s website: https://www.robertsmyth.tgacademy.org.uk