Construction milestone for Staffordshire’s first all-through school
A construction milestone was celebrated last Friday at the site of Staffordshire’s first all-through school, Rugeley John Taylor, which will provide continuous education for children from Nursery (over 3 years old) to Post-16, and which is being built on the site of the former Rugeley Power Station.
Key members from BAM, Gleeds Project Management Consultants, the Department for Education, Staffordshire County Council and John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust came together to recognise this project, which embraces development in the town of Rugeley and marked the occasion by signing the steel frame for the building.
The new school building is a mixed facility school of two and three stories, providing classroom teaching zones, technology areas, science laboratories, a main hall, library and dining facilities. In addition, there will be a separate sports hall block, which will be connected to the main school via an external walkway. The development will also include an extensive sports pitch layout including two all-weather pitches and three outdoor athletic pitch areas.
Adam Harding, Regional Director at BAM commented, “We’re delighted to be involved with John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust, delivering this exciting phase of projects for the DfE and our client. It’s refreshing to see this work will deliver learning and education facilities for young children through to senior school and early adult years, ensuring a new sense of community and friendships will be cultivated in the area.”
The secondary phase of Rugeley John Taylor School will open in September 2025 with 150 places for Year 7 pupils, whilst the primary phase is scheduled to open with Nursery and Reception places in September 2026.
Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Education (and SEND) Councillor Jonathan Price said: “This ceremony marks the next important step forward in the development of this school, which will address pressures on school places locally and add much needed capacity in the area. It has been fantastic to visit the school as it is being constructed, just to take in the sheer scale of what is being built. I look forward to seeing how it develops over the coming months and have no doubt that the school will become an integral part of the local community.”
The new school will be run by John Taylor MAT, an established Trust with 10 years’ experience serving a total of 20 infant, primary and secondary schools across Staffordshire and Derbyshire.
Mike Donoghue, Chief Executive Office for John Taylor MAT said, “We were delighted to have all partners in this important project come together to mark the construction phase, and we are working hard to create a fantastic school that will be an integral part of the John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust and the community of Rugeley.”
By Rachel Snary - Contributor
