Students and staff at Yeoman Park Academy – part of Diverse Academies Trust – were filled with excitement last week as they stepped through the doors of their new state-of-the-art building. Works on the new build were completed over the Easter break, ready for students to move in and make use of the specialist facilities for the start of the summer term.

With high-quality teaching spaces, a fully equipped hydrotherapy pool, a multi-use games area, sensory gardens, and a spacious hall, the new facility provides an exceptional learning environment tailored to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The completion of the building marks a major milestone in the academy’s history. It was earmarked for redevelopment in 2021 under the Department for Education’s (DfE) schools rebuilding programme and is one of the first of 50 new builds across the country to be completed and ready for occupancy.

The four-year project brings to life a vision for unrivalled specialist school facilities and was funded by the DfE, with Nottinghamshire County Council making a significant investment, as part of its plans to create an additional 490 special school places by 2026. The project has been expertly delivered by BAM in collaboration with Novium Architects.

Students have benefited from guided tours and a transitional period to help them settle in and navigate the much larger, purpose-built site. An additional 28 special school places for local families have also been offered at the academy due to increased space at the new development.

Chief Executive Officer of Diverse Academies Trust, David Cotton, said: “We are thrilled to be able to move into this incredible building, and I cannot wait to see our students thrive in their new learning environment. I would like to thank the amazing people and partners who have worked together to bring this project to fruition – we are grateful to each and every person who has worked on the building. It will make such a huge difference to the lives of children and young people with special needs in our local community.”

Diversity Academies’ chief education officer, Cat Thornton, added: “We are delighted that the close partnership working with the community, local authority and DfE has enabled us to ensure that more children access an outstanding quality of education within a wonderful environment. We are so proud that Yeoman Park continues to flourish within our Trust through excellent team work and the highest ambitions for every child.”

Courtney Hoop, Yeoman Park Academy principal, said: “In January the academy was graded as ‘outstanding’ in all areas by Ofsted despite our old and tired building. We are now able to bring together outstanding facilities with our outstanding culture and offer the very best to our learners. Our curriculum and approach to reading was praised during the inspection, so with improved facilities we feel that the sky is the limit. Our new building is impressive and states that we are here to support special educational needs (SEN) learners within Diverse Academies, the local environment and Nottinghamshire. On completion of phase two, we will have additional parking and outdoor areas to support our children and young people, so our school will continue to go from strength to strength.”

Adam Harding, Regional Director, enthused: “At BAM, we’re proud to partner with Yeoman Park Academy and our trusted supply network to make possible an exceptional SEND school that truly supports pupils, staff, and families. From immersive learning environments and intuitive design to therapy pools and assistive technology, every detail is shaped around making daily challenges easier and lives better.

“This isn’t just a building – it’s a space designed with purpose, empathy, and innovation. Understanding the vision behind it has inspired our team to deliver more than just construction; we’ve helped create a place where possibility becomes reality.”