Groundbreaking ceremony held for new secondary school in Bristol
We have held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new secondary school in Knowle, Bristol with Oasis Community Learning.
Following a campaign in the local community, the ceremony is taking place to highlight a significant milestone in the project to deliver a new secondary school in Knowle and across South Bristol.
Oasis Community Learning is a multi-academy trust that operates 52 academies across England, serving over 30,000 students in both primary and secondary schools. Oasis opened its first two academies in Bristol in 2008. Across the city they now have five primary, and five secondary academies dedicated to the progress of every student, serving their local communities.
Oasis Academy Daventry Road is a new inclusive 900 place co-educational secondary school, filling up year on year with additional year groups of students. The academy’s overarching mission is to provide ‘exceptional education at the heart of the community’. The project was led by Rebecca Stepek, Project Manager at OCL, working closely with Wates.
Previously home to the former Merrywood School, Oasis Academy Daventry Road’s state of the art facilities will include an activity studio, sports hall, sports pitches and multi-use games area.
At the moment, the academy is operating on a temporary site, accommodating students in Years 7-8, until the permanent site is completed.
The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Department for Education, Arcadis, Oasis, Park Community Centre and Wates. The event was also attended by Councillor Cam Hayward and Councillor Toby Wells. Parents and children who attend the school have also been invited to the ceremony.
Speeches were given by Mark Craig, Managing Director for South at Wates Construction, Simon Shaw, Head of School and John Barneby, CEO of Oasis Community Learning.
Delivering social value for the local area is another key focus for the project. While carrying out work building this new school, we delivered an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshop for the local community, with its charity partner Papyrus. The skills building workshop prepared caregivers to provide suicide first aid interventions, including learning the most widely used suicide prevention model in the world, and understanding how to recognise, and act on, the signs that someone is having thoughts of suicide.
In addition, we planted 42 trees as part of a new landscaping scheme and 440 whips (seed-grown unpruned trees) at Arnos Vale Cemetery.
It was a delight to celebrate this groundbreaking ceremony today and we are proud to contribute to boosting education opportunities for students in Bristol. At Wates, we take pride in the quality of our work and the positive impact it has not only on the communities we serve but the benefits it has on the environment. It has been a pleasure to celebrate the exciting opportunities this school will have to offer to future generations to come.”
Mark Craig
Regional Managing Director at Wates
We are thrilled to celebrate a significant milestone today in delivering a much-needed new secondary school for families in South Bristol. Oasis is committed to ensuring this academy provides exceptional education in the heart of this local community, providing each young person the best choice and opportunity to flourish both in school, and beyond.”
John Barneby
CEO of Oasis Community Learning
The new Oasis Academy Daventry Road is forecasted to open in 2026.
