Knighton: School expansion provides more places for students

The £3.8m extension of two Leicester schools has been completed.

A new classroom block has been built at Overdale Infant and Junior Schools in Knighton, creating space for an extra 240 pupils.

The existing school buildings were also extended and a new studio, new toilets and storage space were also added.

Leicester City Council, which funded the work, said the new building has a number of energy efficient features including air source heat pumps and low energy LED lighting.

Matt Evans, headteacher at Overdale Junior School, said: “We are delighted with our new much needed learning spaces.

“The classrooms and extra spaces are lovely with lots of natural light and are very spacious. We are proud of our new building and our students are really enjoying their new learning spaces.”

Both schools are run by the OAK Multi Academy Trust, but the city council said it was responsible for ensuring they had enough capacity to meet growing demand.

Hayley Holmes, headteacher of the children’s school, said: “The extra classrooms have given us the capacity we need to provide our children with a positive learning environment.

“We’re excited to be able to have a larger gym space so the whole school can be in the gym together.”

Deputy mayor Elaine Pantling, who leads education, said both the children’s and children’s schools were “extremely popular”.

“I am very pleased that we have been able to invest in this program of improvements and create much-needed additional places,” she added.