Work has begun on a new building for Paxton Academy Primary School which has been without a permanent home for four years.

The Thornton Heath free school, specialising in sports and science, has run out of temporary buildings at Streatham-Croydon Rugby Football Club since 2014. 

Pupils have been taught in portacabins, earning the school the nickname the ‘portacabin academy.’  The new building (pictured left), to be built by the McAvoy group, will include classrooms over three storeys with a multi use games area sports play on the fourth floor roof  deck.

The new school at 843 London Road  will cater for  630 pupils aged four to 11.

The contractor will manufacture 112 steel framed modules for the new four-storey building at their production facilities in Northern Ireland, which will then be delivered to the site in May 2019.

Last month MP Steve Reed, attended the ground-breaking ceremony for the  Academy’s new site, which should be completed by Winter 2019.

The MP said: “This marks a momentous day for the Paxton Academy Trust.

“The Principal, staff, governors and pupils have shown remarkable resilience in overcoming major difficulties with finding additional accommodation for their growing numbers and obtaining planning consent for this permanent building.

“I am delighted to be able to celebrate with them the start of their new school building which will provide state of the art facilities to deliver a modern 20th century education for its pupils.”

The MP was joined by the chair of governors, Barrington Gooden, the school’s principal, Johnette Barrett, along with parents, pupils, the contractor and representatives from the Department for Education.