Rugby Borough Council granted planning permission for Houlton School on Friday 27th September, enabling works to begin on Rugby’s newest secondary school.
The new facility will see Houlton’s Grade II-listed Rugby Radio Station building transformed into a six form entry secondary school, providing nearly 1,000 school places, plus a sixth form.
Opening in September 2021 for Year 7, the school will grow each academic year with a new intake of Year 7 pupils.
The school is a joint venture between Houlton’s master developer Urban&Civic, Aviva Investors, Warwickshire County Council (WCC) and the Department for Education (DfE) , and will be run by the Transforming Lives Educational Trust (TLET); the organisation already delivering Outstanding OFSTED-rated education at Rugby’s Ashlawn School.
Preparatory works including some demolition, remediation and clearance will begin immediately and the main contract to convert the listed building and construct the new buildings will begin in the New Year.
Residents and prospective pupils can view a 3D model and CGIs of Houlton School on display at The Visitor Centre in Dollman Farm, Houlton.
Richard Coppell, Development Director for Urban&Civic said; “It is fabulous news that the planning application for Houlton School has been approved, which marks a major milestone in the development of Houlton. The school will become an important statement building in the heart of Houlton’s growing community and provides us with a rare and exciting opportunity to turn a piece of Rugby’s rich history into a state-of-the-art facility for our local residents and families across the town.”
James Higham, CEO of the Transforming Lives Education Trust, commented: “This is an incredibly exciting moment for Houlton School and the team here at TLET, who are working closely with Urban&Civic on designing, building and opening the new school. Not only will the location be an inspirational place to learn in, but we will also be building on the experience and expertise of our high performing schools in the Trust to develop strong community and the highest education standards.”
Following the opening of St Gabriel’s CofE Academy at Houlton in September 2018, Houlton School is the second of four schools which will be delivered at the development.
Once complete, Houlton will also feature 6,200 new homes, a nursery, a GP health centre, a convenience store and 500 acres of extensive walkways, cycleways, wildlife corridors, ponds and green spaces.
