London & South East

Havant Academy gets ready to shine

Havant AcademyHavant Academy is undergoing an exciting refurbishment and extension project that will refurbish old facilities and create new faculties for its students.

Formerly Staunton Community Sports College, the school was saved from closure in 2009 when it was given the opportunity to become an Academy. Since then, the school has embarked upon a determined mission to treat each student as an individual and ensure that each young person receives the education that best suits them.

The INFINITY Learning Programme enriches the students’ learning by providing engaging, multi-sensory transferable learning experiences within every activity. It will support their ability to learn in their preferred style, helping them to become independent and autonomous learners. This means that they will be prepared for life, college, university and work and will have the skills necessary to acquire knowledge and enhance successful personal and social pathways.

The £7.5m refurbishment project began in August 2011 and is expected to be complete in November 2012.

In July 2011, Mayor Ken Smith was invited to attend the celebration of the new partnership between Havant Academy and BAM Construction. The event was organised by an enthusiastic group of students known as BAMbassadors.

The principal aim of the internal refurbishment is to set up new faculties within the academy by suiting the curriculum accommodation into different areas of the building. In order to reflect the strong vocational ethos of the school, a new motor vehicles workshop will be constructed along with a specialist catering facility and a hair and beauty department.Havant Academy

The new large dining hall which is a social hub of the campus and the main entry point for the buildings will provide a new heart for the campus.

Landscaping will comprise a new library courtyard space, the demolition of surplus buildings and the upgrading and improvement of the external areas, including new fencing and security arrangements at the entrances. Some new tree planting will also take place whilst the existing sports fields will remain unaffected by the project.

A key aspect of the project is the development of teaching master-classes.

John Cantwell, HCC Property Services, explained: “The master class element means that more than one group of students can be taught at the same time. For example, there is a master class within the literacy and language faculty that will allow 90 students to be taught in one area. The space is being developed with a high level of audio visual equipment – including multiple projection screens and a full sound system – which will mean that the lessons can be taught in an immersive environment.

“The new courtyard will be the main feature in terms of the design aspirations. A number of the specialist bases, for instance the hair and beauty salon and catering suite, are fed directly off the space. As a result, the faculties become like shop windows to the dining area, or a street within the campus. This idea is based around the concept of the students being able to see other students participating in exciting lessons, which will hopefully encourage them to become interested in doing different things.”

 

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