Bouygues UK has completed a timber-framed secondary academy in Wantage, Oxfordshire, providing around 600 places and forming the area’s first all-through education site.
The contractor built St John’s CE Academy on behalf of Cambrian Learning Trust and the Department for Education. The secondary site will accommodate students aged 11 to 16 and sits alongside the existing primary site at the Wellington Gate development, completing an all-through education provision running from nursery to Year 11.
The 6,074m2, two-storey building includes specialist teaching spaces, sports facilities, playing fields and a multi-use games area.
The academy’s structure uses cross-laminated timber, which the contractor says reduces embodied carbon, while off-site manufacturing was used to limit waste and defects during construction. A green roof fitted with photovoltaic panels supports the building’s energy performance. External works include grass playing fields, a multi-use games area and sustainable drainage systems incorporating attenuation, swales and porous parking areas.
Sarah Fedorcio, project director at the Department for Education, said: “Ensuring schools and colleges have the resources and buildings they need is a key part of our government mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every young person the best start in life.
“I would like to congratulate the whole team involved in delivering St John’s CE Academy and look forward to seeing the transformative impact on students as they realise their potential in a high-quality learning environment.”
Mark Cesenek, managing director at Bouygues UK, said: “Completing St John’s CE Academy is a significant achievement for everyone involved in the project. This is a school designed to provide high-quality educational facilities for around 600 students and will become an important part of the wider Grove and Wantage community.
“From the use of a cross-laminated timber structure and photovoltaic panels to the integration of natural light, ventilation and landscaped outdoor spaces, sustainability and wellbeing have been central to the project. We are proud to have worked with Cambrian Learning Trust, the Department for Education, the design team and our supply chain partners to deliver a school that will support generations of young people.”
Richard Evans, chief executive of Cambrian Learning Trust, said: “The opening of St John’s CE Academy marks an incredibly exciting new chapter for the trust. This outstanding new environment will give our young people the space and opportunities to learn, grow and flourish, while creating a strong sense of belonging from nursery through to secondary education. It embodies our vision of nurturing growth and inspiring minds, and we are proud to be providing a school where ambition, kindness, integrity and unity can shape the experiences of our students for years to come.”
Rick Holroyd, executive headteacher at St John’s CE Academy, said: “After three years of working in partnership with Bouygues UK and the DfE on the planning for this wonderful building, it is so very exciting to see the project reach completion ready to welcome the first cohorts of secondary students in September 2026.
“This site and this building will provide the state-of-the-art facilities and opportunities necessary for all students to grow, flourish and fly, in line with our vision for all at St John’s CE Academy. This is precisely the sort of school that all young people deserve and, working in close partnership with St John’s Primary Site as a genuine, all-through school, we are delighted to be able to offer our students and families across our local community such stunning facilities for lifelong learning and growth.”
Image credit: © Simon Harvey. Courtesy of Bouygues UK
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