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New Build: Six Month Update

Kettering Science Academy’s new building is rapidly taking shape just six months into the project.

The brick work to the £26m building is now under way and in the last few months, contractors Willmott Dixon have erected around 750 tonnes of steel and poured around 1,600 tonnes of concrete.

Now into week 32 (as of May 23rd) of the project, staff are being taken on tours of their future work place.

Some of the exciting features of the new building include a welding and heat treatment area in the design and technology block, along with an electronics lab and workshop with laser cutters and micro-routers. The art room will include a pottery section complete with a kiln and pottery wheels.

The music faculty will include a music technology suite, a recording studio and three practice rooms, including one specifically designed for drum practice. All music rooms will be linked up so that recording can take place.

The textiles area will feature a changing room and even a display window so students can present their creations on mannequins. In addition, KSA's new build will include two indoor cricket nets, four badminton courts and a mirrored dance studio.

The development has provided real-life learning opportunities for students, including Year 9 maths students who have been taking on the role of quantity surveyors. As part of the challenge to 'win' a building contract for the new maths and IT block, they have looked at the architects' plans to calculate the volume of excavations required, the length of steelwork needed, the volume of concrete required and the area of bricks and blocks. Their studies have also included looking at which fictional companies would provide the best value for money to carry out the work.

Site staff have also been making regular visits to the primary phase to speak to children about the new building, talking to them about safety on building sites and the types of trades involved.

For more details on the new building, click here.