Sporting future for Siddal Moor students

Head boy, Andrew Grimshaw and Bethany Eccles, head girl, unveiled the plaque on the day to commemorate the new future for the college

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The doors were officially opened to the new state-of-the-art Siddal Moor Sports College, Heywood, on Friday 23 March.

The current head boy of the school, Andrew Grimshaw and Bethany Eccles, head girl, unveiled the plaque on the day to commemorate the new future for the college.

Siddal Moor received £14.5m investment as part of Rochdale’s Building Schools for the Future programme. Carillion started construction work on the new building in January 2010 and the last phase of the school was completed in January this year.

The building, which was originally developed in the 1960s for 400 pupils, can now accommodate 1050 students over a three storey teaching block, with a vibrant atrium space at its heart.

The atrium houses the buildings main Learning Resource Centre and provides easy access to the specialist teaching accommodation, all of which have been specifically designed and refurbished to suit the school’s curriculum.

A new community entrance has been created allowing easier access to the refurbished sports facilities and changing rooms. External areas have also been developed to provide a new car park, entrance plaza and landscaping.

The new building has been designed to be very energy efficient and to reduce carbon emissions. Specific materials, such as timber and recycled products have been used and there is daylight-linked and motion detection-controlled lighting, rainwater recycling and a biomass boiler.

Claire Butler, inspiredspaces’ General Manager, said “From the outset, Siddal Moor had ambitious plans to revamp their existing school buildings in a way that would help students to access 21st century teaching and learning. We worked closely with the school to produce a design which now provides more flexible teaching spaces to support different styles of learning, but which still keeps pastoral support at its heart."

Cheryl Eastwood, Executive Director for Children’s, Schools and Families at Rochdale Borough Council said: “This is the first of several official openings for our rebuilt and remodelled secondary schools. Siddall Moor looks fantastic and it was great to meet students at the opening. They are delighted with their new facilities and I am sure that the high standard of the building will promote excellent teaching and learning.”

Steve Britton, Headteacher at Siddal Moor said: “Siddal Moor is very grateful for the support of the Government, local authority BSF Team, inspiredspaces and Carillion for all they have done to create such an inspiring and positive learning environment that will serve the young people of Heywood and the surrounding communities for a very long time to come.”