Watling Academy 10 Classroom Teaching Block & 6th Form Centre

The Brief

A landmark expansion project at Watling Academy, delivering a two-storey teaching block and a dedicated Sixth Form Centre through modern, sustainable offsite construction methods enhancing capacity and opportunity for the growing Alliance Trust community.

The expansion encompasses two distinct but complementary structures: a new two-storey classroom block providing ten additional teaching spaces, and a purpose-built Sixth Form Centre complete with a café, common room, dedicated study classrooms, and staff office accommodation. Together, these buildings represent a significant step forward in the academy’s mission to provide world-class learning environments for young people in Milton Keynes

The Solution

Construction commenced in May 2025, with the Sixth Form Centre successfully handed over in October 2025 as part of a phased delivery handover, with the classroom block reaching practical completion in January 2026. The project has been delivered using Structural Insulated Panel System (SIPS) construction — a modern method of construction (MMC) that prioritises speed, thermal performance, and sustainability.

The team’s collaborative approach with school leadership ensured that site logistics, access routes, and noise management were carefully managed throughout the build, maintaining a safe and productive environment for the school community at all times.

The new two-storey classroom block is the centrepiece of the academic expansion, providing ten fully fitted, modern teaching spaces arranged across two floors. Designed to the latest Department for Education (DfE) area guidelines.

Natural light is a defining feature of the design. Generous glazing to each classroom ensures pupils and teachers benefit from bright, stimulating learning environments throughout the school day. Acoustic performance has also been carefully considered, with SIPS construction providing inherent acoustic insulation qualities that help maintain a calm and focused atmosphere within each teaching space.

Externally, the classroom block is designed to complement the existing academy buildings. Hard and soft landscaping works continue around the new block are being completed as part of the broader project scope, creating attractive external circulation routes and social spaces for pupils between lessons.

The new Sixth Form Centre represents a particularly meaningful addition to Watling Academy’s estate. For the first time, the academy’s sixth formers will have a dedicated “home” a suite of spaces designed specifically around their needs as they prepare for university, apprenticeships, and careers. The centre has been described by school leadership as “spacious and modern,” and it reflects a genuine ambition to provide sixth form provision that is comparable with the best independent sector facilities.

The centrepiece of the Sixth Form Centre is a purpose-built café, providing a social hub where students can relax, collaborate, and build the kind of informal relationships that are so important to sixth form life. Alongside the café, dedicated study classrooms offer quiet, focused environments for independent learning and small group tuition, whilst office spaces provide accommodation for sixth form leadership staff and support teams.