Earlier this year, the local authority approached us with a request to accommodate an additional thirty students per year for the next three years as part of the new year seven cohorts. Committed to supporting our local community and providing as many school places as possible for young people in the surrounding area, we eagerly accepted the challenge. 

Given the constraints on space in our current school building, especially as we contend with the maintenance of a facility nearing the end of its life, the local authority stepped in to assist us. They generously agreed to fund and install a temporary building to accommodate the increase in students, ensuring that Chilwell School remains an optimal learning environment until the anticipated rebuild programme is complete. 

The project timeline was extremely tight, with a goal to have everything in place before the start of the new academic year. Thanks to the relentless hard work and dedication of the local authority, ARC Partnership, Portakabin, and our own school staff, we have accomplished what seemed nearly impossible.

Our new block is now ready and will house our modern foreign languages (MFL) department, a “Snack Shack” to enhance our catering provision, and a state-of-the-art science lab refurbished from one of our existing classrooms. 

The workmanship has been exceptional, and we are excited to introduce these outstanding new facilities to both our new and returning students. In addition to the new block, we have also rejuvenated our main building, giving it a new lease on life. All classrooms and hallways have been redecorated, visual displays have been installed, and we have upgraded our IT rooms and software to provide students and staff with the best possible learning and teaching experience. 

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone involved in this massive project. Special recognition goes to Kean Lees and Lee Barnes from the ARC partnership, who have managed and led this project with remarkable skill and dedication. Their efforts, along with those of all the teams involved, have ensured that Chilwell School is ready to welcome the 2024/25 academic year with enhanced facilities that will benefit our entire school community.