PUPILS and staff are ‘incredibly excited’ to move into their new Saddleworth School in Diggle, says headteacher Mike Anderson.
The former school in Uppermill closed for the last time for the February half-term holiday and the packing up of 2,300 boxes – and more than 100 years of memories – began.
The doors of the new £27million school on the former WH Shaw pallet works site on Huddersfield Road opened from March 2, welcoming pupils on a staggered return.
The proposal to move the school to Diggle was first put forward to Oldham Council in December 2015 and approved in 2016.
However it was overturned after a judicial review brought by Save Diggle Action Group in 2017.
Mr Justice Kerr ruled the council’s decision was unlawful, stating the initial committee had ‘never addressed’ the potential harm to heritage assets.
But almost two years later, all four parts of a revised application were approved by the council’s planning committee at an extraordinary meeting.
Construction by Tilbury Douglas started in July 2020 to provide the state-of-the-art school including ancillary buildings, a sports hall, and sports pitches.
A time capsule, including a school tie, letters written by the pupils and newspaper cuttings about the school, was buried in the grounds during construction to be uncovered in years to come.
Following almost 300,000 hours working on-site, the three-storey, 10,500 m2 building is complete.
Mr Anderson commented: “We’re all incredibly excited to move into our new school.
“Our new building has been designed with students at its heart with state-of-the-art teaching and specialist spaces, brilliant sporting facilities and fantastic outdoor learning and social areas.
“After a long wait we finally have the school that children and families of Saddleworth deserve.
“It is going to make a huge difference to students and staff, and we’re delighted that we’re now here.”
The school has been designed to meet the growing needs of pupils and the community by providing an additional 150 places so it can now accommodate up to 1,500 pupils aged 11 to 16 years old.
It boasts 80 bright, modern classrooms, including specialist teaching rooms for Science, Food Technology, ICT and Design Technology.
There are also first-class sports facilities at the site with a sports hall, fitness suite and activity studios inside and an all-weather pitch outside.
The school also features a Breathing Buildings solution to provide natural ventilation – keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer to boost comfort, health, sustainability and reduce energy costs.
The construction team utilised innovative methods throughout the build, such as an earthmoving cut and fill process to excavate material to raise the level of the sports field and avoid sending material to landfill.
Phil Shaw, Divisional Director, Tilbury Douglas Construction, said: “The school is a testament to our first-class team that has delivered on the DfE’s brief to create a world class learning environment for young people.
“We look forward to seeing the school’s impact upon those pupils who will access the establishment in the years to come.”
Cllr Shaid Mushtaq, Oldham Council Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, added: “It’s great news that these pupils now have the school they have been waiting so long for.
“This is a fantastic building which will transform their learning and high school experience.
Saddleworth School’s motto is ‘Aim High’ – and this new building will certainly inspire them to do that.
“I wish everyone the best of luck in their new building and thank all those who have played a part in making this a reality.”
Following the school’s relocation, Oldham Council will apply for permission to demolish the existing Uppermill buildings.
Once cleared, the site will then be taken forward for redevelopment and is currently earmarked for a range of much-needed new homes, including a proportion of affordable homes.
Fantastic new school. However, surely Saddleworth desperately need a Medical Centre with more doctors to cover the already growing population, not just housing.
Yes we need to extend the Saddleworth Medical Practice or build a bigger one in Saddleworth with a big car park. The car park for patient’s is too small,as it is used by shoppers visiting Uppermill. This is what we need for the future and for the Practice to work at its best.
Right building, wrong village. Draws commercial life-blood from our principal village, Uppermill. Overburdens the infrastructure of Diggle. Still, it is a fait accompli, so we will now have to make the best of it. Let there be no complaints about more Uppermill housing from those who championed the move of the school from Uppermill to Diggle. Best wishes to all at the new school.