‘Brilliant’ £26.6m academy opens its doors

FIRST day: pupils (from the left) Zoyha Gul, Helena Clarke, Ben Hawkins and Dale Rees arrive at the newly-opened Waterhead Academy

THE £26.6 million Waterhead Academy opened this morning — and the verdict from pupils is:

“brilliant”.
Years 10 and 11 pupils were the first to start in the new school, built on the former Orb Mill site in Huddersfield Road.

School opened at 8am and Dale Rees (14), from Moorside, was the first pupil to arrive at 7.40am.

He said: “It looks great. It’s really big.”

The building, begun 18 months ago, includes a double-height entrance hall, underground parking, a 300-seat auditorium, rooftop terraces and views of Strinesdale Country Park and Hartshead Pike.

There is also a TV studio that will broadcast a school news programme every Friday.

Indoor and outdoor sports facilities range from football pitches and tennis, netball and badminton courts to a BMX track, a dance studio and a fitness suite.

Waterhead Academy replaced Breeze Hill and Counthill schools, and will retain the sports centre at Counthill, which is getting a £100,000 revamp. Waterhead Sport Campus, as it will be called, includes classrooms, a sports hall, a gymnasium and a fitness suite, as well as two football and two rugby pitches.

Chairman of governors Shauna Dixon said: “We are thrilled with the new school and its impact will be felt for generations to come.”


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