Wixams Academy celebrates opening of new elite cricket sports hall and teaching block

The school, which opened in 2017 to serve the growing towns of Wixams, Wilstead, and nearby villages, has added the facility, which will also be available for use by local cricket teams, to increase pupil capacity and encourage greater participation in sports, particularly for girls.

The new sports hall and teaching block were opened last Thursday by Susan Lousada, His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, and Jo Gardner of the Sunrisers. (26/9) The event was also attended by representatives from Central Bedfordshire Council and Bedford Borough Council, including Tom Wootton, Mayor of Bedford Borough and Martin Darlow, Deputy Lieutenant of Bedfordshire. Members of Cricket East, England and Wales Cricket Board, Willmott and Dixon and Wixams Parish Council, also attended.

The multi-purpose sports hall will benefit the school and the growing community of Wixams and the neighbouring villages. The hall, which has a dedicated cricket surface, cricket nets and bowling machines, will put the facility at the centre of regional efforts to increase women's and girls' participation in cricket and strengthen links with local cricket clubs.

The new teaching block features updated science, design technology, art, media, and food technology labs, along with new classrooms. The expansion has increased the school’s capacity to 1,750 students.

The existing school building has also seen upgrades, including improvements to music rooms, peri rooms, extra computer labs, a dance studio, and a second servery.

The expansion was completed by Willmott Dixon and made possible with funding from the England and Wales Cricket Board, Cricket East, and both the Bedford and Central Bedfordshire Boroughs.

Nathaniel Wilson, headteacher at Wixams Academy, said: "We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our school facilities, which marks a significant milestone in enhancing the educational experience at our institution. The new state-of-the-art sports hall and specialist labs for science, design technology, media, and art will provide our students with unparalleled opportunities to explore their passions and develop their skills.

The additional teaching block and the expanded eating spaces, including a new servery, will ensure that we can comfortably accommodate our

growing student body. Moreover, the renovations to our current main building will further improve the learning environment for everyone. We are

grateful to the Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire councils for their generous investment in our facilities. We are also grateful to Cricket East

and the England and Wales Cricket Board for their investment in our cricket facilities, which will greatly benefit our students and the wider community."

Hywel Jones, Director of Secondary Education, Knowledge Schools Trust, added: “The expansion of the school’s facilities not only provides a fantastic teaching block to enable the growth of the school but provides state of the art sports facilities for our pupils and the local community. We are grateful for the significant investment made by both the Bedford and Central Bedfordshire Boroughs, allowing us to expand our school as well as Cricket East and the England and Wales Cricket Board for the investment in cricket facilities which will be essential in growing the popularity of cricket amongst all of our pupils, and we will create pathways with local cricket clubs with an emphasis on increasing the participation of female pupils in cricket.”