Hilltop School in Rotherham has reached its first milestone in completing the first phase of the scheme.
Image credit: Chapter 81
Yorkshire Children’s Charity in partnership with Nexus Multi Academy Trust, have completed the first phase of a major £3 million charitable project to transform Hilltop School in Rotherham – a special educational needs school supporting 180 children with complex needs.
The first phase was officially unveiled at a celebratory event and site tour, attended by key contractors, consultants and developers involved in carrying out the project, including main contractor, Henry Boot Construction.
The charity has rallied support from over 50 contractors, consultants and developers to carry out the project, with work being led by GMI, B+K, Severfield, HBC, Pierre Angulaire, Cartwright Pickard, Triton, McLaren Property, Stainforth Construction, RPP, BAM and RBA.
Hilltop School is part of the Nexus Multi Academy Trust and supports children and young people aged 2–19 with severe and complex learning difficulties. The school was previously featured in the BBC’s SEND Help documentary in 2023, which highlighted the crisis facing the sector and the urgent need for better facilities and inspired the ambitious project.
All delivered within a 15-week programme, the milestone marked the completion of extensive internal reconfigurations, creating four new classrooms, with associated WC and kitchenette facilities, and staff spaces, providing modern, accessible learning environments that will significantly enhance the experience for pupils.
Yorkshire Children’s Charity believes that all children have the right to the best possible education, and school facilities have a big part to play. The Great Yorkshire Build has been designed to improve outdated, insufficient, and inadequate facilities at many of the county’s Special Educational Needs and Disability schools. The initiative was shortlisted for the 2023 Charity Awards.
Founder and chief executive of Yorkshire Children’s Charity, Charlotte Farrington, comments: “Hilltop School has been our biggest and most ambitious Great Yorkshire Build to date, and the way the Yorkshire property industry has rallied behind this project is nothing short of phenomenal. The children at Hilltop finally have the supportive, nurturing environment they deserve, and their teachers now have the tools and spaces they need to do their job.”
Warren Carratt, Chief Executive of Nexus Multi Academy Trust said: “Demand for special school places has never been higher, so this work will create more high-quality choice for many more families and will give us a site that is a beacon of good practice across the county”.
Ian Walsh, Director of Cartwright Pickard, said: “Working on the Hilltop project has been positively inspiring to see the direct and immediate impact our collaborative work on the first phase has had on improving the teaching environment for both the students and staff. The collective work and drive of the team have shown how our sector can passionately come together for the betterment of people and places.”
Further phases will include a newly built rebound centre - an area designed to host therapeutic spaces, which will be transformational for pupils with complex special and educational needs.
Ian Gresser, Head of Pre-Construction at Henry Boot Construction, said: “Completing the first phase at Hilltop School is a fantastic milestone for everyone involved. We’re incredibly proud to have been the first contractor on site to kickstart this project and to see real progress already taking shape. The collaboration, skill, and generosity of our team and supply chain partners has been outstanding – helping us to create spaces that will genuinely make a difference for children, teachers, and families across the region.”
