‘Temporary’ school for 180 pupils to be built on disused land in Bolton

PLANNERS have agreed to a project which would see a temporary high school constructed on disused land.The new King’s Leadership Academy ­would be made up of pre-built blocks on the site former Hayward School, off Freshfields Avenue, which was demolished in place of Essa Academy.Bolton Council’s planning bosses unanimously agreed on the proposals, which would create space for 180 pupils and 17-18 full time or equivalent members of staff.A maximum of 540 pupils could be educated in the temporary buildings by September 2021, with 52 members of staff.The school is being funded by the Department for Education.Residents in the area had raised concerns over traffic and noise generated by this new development.However, the organisation behind the plans, the Great Schools Trust, said it would stagger finish times against other schools in the area to counteract the number of pupils at one time and would build an acoustic fence to combat noise.Sir Iain Hall, CEO of the Trust, called the development “the first stage in providing a permanent high-quality educational provision for pupils aged 11 to 16” and said it would help Bolton to combat an “urgent need” for school places.The development will create parking for 67 cars, a covered area for bicycle storage and space for buses to drop off children at the school.There will also be a school crossing patrol operating throughout the three year period to ensure children are safe.During this period authorities will be searching for a site on which to build a permanent school.Hayward School was demolished between 2012 and 2013, leaving the site empty and unused ever since.