A County Durham school will be torn down once pupils move into a new state-of-the-art campus. 

The existing school buildings at Woodham Academy, Newton Aycliffe, are set to be demolished to make way for a new three-storey site. 

Plans to build the new site were approved in February, with work already well underway - and now a planning application to demolish the current site has now been approved. 

It means the buildings will be demolished once pupils and staff move into the new site. The proposed demolition works are scheduled to start in September 2024, with the first four months of work involving specialist asbestos removal. 

Following completion of demolition works a new playing field will be created on the site of the former school.

The Northern Echo: An aerial shot of the existing school site An aerial shot of the existing school site (Image: Durham County Council)

A redevelopment of the school’s facilities is described as much-needed, as the current buildings are at the end of their lifespan. The school was selected by the Department for Education to receive funding under the Schools Rebuilding Programme, due to its poor quality. 

Plans for the new campus show the proposed teaching buildings and sports buildings will be located to the south east of the existing school. In addition to teaching spaces, the new teaching block will include two dining halls and an assembly hall with a library located on the first floor of the building. The sports building will house a four-lane swimming pool, four-court sports hall, activity studio, fitness room and dining area.

Danny Morgans, deputy headteacher at Woodham Academy, told a previous planning meeting that the current buildings are impacted by inclement weather. 

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The Northern Echo: How the new site could look once complete How the new site could look once complete (Image: Durham County Council)

He said: “Providing the highest quality of education, given the constraints of the building, can prove challenging during periods of inclement weather. Rooms can often be unavailable due to flooding issues and this has a detrimental impact on students’ learning.

“The proposed new buildings will accommodate students in a variety of modern classrooms and specialist spaces.”

The application to demolish the site was unanimously approved, with councillors labelling the decision a “no-brainer”.