Work well underway on £1.4m state-of-the-art sports centre and canteen at Harborough school

Pictured Jason Button head of PE and Martin Towers finance and operations director as work starts on the Sports Centre at Welland Park Academy.
PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER — Pictured Jason Button head of PE and Martin Towers finance and operations director as work starts on the Sports Centre at Welland Park Academy. PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER

Construction has began on a new sports hall and dining room at Welland Park School.

It comes nearly two years after section 106 developer funding was granted by Harborough District Council. The cash injection will also pay for two new classrooms to be built.

The new dining room will double provision and now enable 300 students to be seated at one time. Staff said it is ‘much needed’ as the school’s former offering was built in the 1930s.

Work has started on Welland Park Academy Sports Centre which hopes to be completed in January 2023.
PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER — Work has started on Welland Park Academy Sports Centre which hopes to be completed in January 2023. PICTURE: ANDREW CARPENTER

And the new sports centre – a four-court badminton hall – will be used for the likes of netball and football and will be used alongside the school’s previous hall of the same size, also doubling provision. Community groups including cricket and trampolining clubs will also be able to use the new facilities, which will include larger changing rooms.

Physical education is hugely popular at Welland Park, with some 40 per cent of each year representing the school in a sport.

The dining hall is due to open in mid September, with the sports hall being completed by the end of January.

School finance and operations director Martin Towers said: “This development means better facilities for the students, more access to a better curriculum offering and indoor sport provision.”

But it’s not the only development currently taking place at the school – which is currently home to some 960 children.

Some £172,000 in funding has also been granted for an all-weather pitch to be created, replacing the current facilities.

Work is also underway to completely replace the schools heating system – which dates back to the 1950s – and electrics.

LED lighting is also being installed in the school’s Octagon Theatre to improve provision and so dance and theatre groups who use the building do not have to hire in lights.

Martin added: “Students are very excited – particularly about the new all weather pitch. They tell us they would like a 3G football pitch or Gen 2 hockey pitch. We are expecting an answer imminently after the ‘playing pitch strategy’ for the district has been decided.”