240 Hailsham students being moved due to emergency building work at school

The proposal is for Phoenix Academy, in Marshfoot Lane, to get two mobile classrooms. This is because emergency building works taking place at Burfield Academy mean that additional accommodation is needed for 240 children and 30 staff.

This would be between September 2023 and December 2024. Once work at Burfield has been completed the classrooms will then be removed and the grounds fully reinstated, plans say.

The site proposed is currently used as a playground but plans say ‘no formal playing fields will be lost and the school has an adequate playground to be unhindered by the installation of the mobiles on the proposed site’.

The plans submitted to Wealden District Council say: “Clearly this is an unfortunate and unexpected situation and finding a suitable temporary site to relocate an entire primary school, at relatively short notice, was not an easy task. Phoenix was deemed to be the best fit.”

The existing facilities at Phoenix Academy can accommodate a proportion of the Burfield children, but these two classrooms are needed to support the full number. The mobile classrooms would accommodate up to 120 children and other facilities such as the hall and library will be shared within the main school building.

Plans say: “The proposed use of the site for the installation of two temporary mobile classrooms will have very little impact upon surrounding residential properties nor worsen the current situation of the site itself with regard to flood risk. The temporary increase in the number of children and staff using the site is small given the historic use of the site.”

Members of the public can comment on the plans until March 27 (reference: WD/2023/0421/F).

More news from Hailsham