£5.9m South Yorkshire grammar school redevelopment boosts local economy

Contractor Clegg Construction has started work on an “exciting” £5.9m renovation scheme to repurpose the derelict Maltby Grammar School near Rotherham into a community resource and education facility.

The company has pledged to support a range of local health and wellbeing projects and employment and skills development opportunities during the contract, and it is estimated that up to £1.25m will be pumped into the local economy after Clegg Construction committed to use as many local sub-contractors, suppliers and enterprises as possible.

Pre-construction director, Ross Crowcroft, commented: “Maltby Grammar School has played a pivotal role in the local community over many decades and the team at Clegg Construction is very pleased to be breathing new life into this historic building and giving it a future.

“This project will provide significant new facilities for the area in terms of learning and development. We have pledged to support the local community in a number of ways during the duration of this project as part of our commitment to the communities that we work in.

“We are pleased to have now made a start on site and look forward to the renovation project progressing over the coming months. We have wide experience of working both within the heritage sector and the education sector, so this scheme is a perfect fit for our expertise at Clegg Construction.”

Built in the early 1930s, the school closed in 2012. Maltby Learning Trust is now bringing the historic building back into use with plans which include the creation of incubator space for training and apprenticeships, bookable workspaces and serviced hot-desking, and start-up support for the leisure and hospitality sectors.

The re-purposed building, known for its “impressive” clock tower, will also extend Maltby Learning Trust’s Post 16 specialist facilities for students who attend Maltby Academy and Sir Thomas Wharton Academy sixth form provision.

Clegg Construction has just started work on site to refurbish the building and also to build a new steel frame extension in the existing courtyard to provide space for an exhibition hall. The company is also exploring opportunities to work with the school’s estates team to create outdoor space for tree and flower planting, along with bee and butterfly corridors.

David Sutton, chief executive officer of Maltby Learning Trust, added: We are absolutely delighted to announce that work has now started on redeveloping the old Maltby Grammar School.

“This is an exciting time for Maltby Learning Trust and this project will see us taking a building that hasn’t been occupied for nearly a decade and create an inclusive multi-functional space that will host a series of community events and learning activities.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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