Contract agreed for major extension at Bedford Academy

Bedford Borough Council has awarded the contract to Ashe Construction. 16 classrooms will be constructed over a 60-week period – along with changing rooms, a dining area and a community café.

The school, in Mile Road, currently has 1,350 pupils on roll; the extension will allow it to accommodate 300 additional children as part of phased growth to 1,800 pupils by 2029, making it one of the largest secondary schools in Bedford.

The new classrooms will have a bright, safe, simple design, with whiteboards and ICT facilities. Feedback from students has been incorporated in the layout of rooms, with teachers able to circulate freely around desks allowing them to have closer contact with every pupil while remotely accessing the whiteboard.

The extension has been designed by GSS Architecture and the facilities will even be available for hire, both by individuals, and community groups.

A silent study area and office spaces for staff to work will be included and 300 student lockers will be installed. The school will also add 77 new cycle spaces to encourage sustainable travel.

Pick Everard has been appointed by the council to project manage the scheme, which is expected to be completed in time for the 2025-26 school year.

Chris Morris, chief officer for education, SEND and schools at Bedford Borough Council, said: “Pupils have been at the heart of creating the vision for the new facilities, and we hope their legacy will be felt for generations to come.”

Chris Deller, headteacher at Bedford Academy said: “We are making the most of this opportunity to provide new sustainable facilities for our school, our children and our community. We are going to provide them with lovely new, bright and clean learning spaces.

"The families who use our buildings outside of school time will have access to our large dining hall which will double up as a café for parents to use while they wait for their children to finish their activities.”