New Laurus Ryecroft school completed

Construction has officially finished on a brand new school for Tameside.

Laurus Ryecroft, in Droylsden, will be able to accommodate 1,350 pupils and will ease the issue of limited school places in the area.

It’s the new academy from Laurus Trust, which runs six other schools, including the OFSTED ‘Outstanding’ ranked Cheadle Hulme High School and Didsbury High School in Greater Manchester. Laurus Ryecroft, Cheadle Hulme High School and Didsbury High.

The new, bespoke building was designed by Altrincham based Pozzoni Architecture and sits on the site of former Littlemoss High School site.

The main building will be three stories in height, with adjoining sixth form and sports hall wings.

The school say that a “uniform light grey brick” has been used for the main body of the building, whilst a darker brick has been used to enhance the main pupil entrance. They added: “The school’s brand identity has been incorporated through the selective use of sage green coloured spandrel panels and green-toned cladding to highlight the three entrances.”

Catherine Mulley, Director at Pozzoni and head of the practice’s education team, said: “Driven by a shared desire to create an inspirational and aspirational school to meet urgent demand in Tameside, we were able to effectively triple the capacity of this former school site without compromising on the exceptional standards expected from Laurus Trust schools.

“This new building has been designed to sit perfectly within its surroundings; providing indoor and outdoor spaces equally suited to learning and socialising – offering pupils a stimulating environment both for education and personal growth.”

Head of Laurus Ryecroft, Martin Vevers, added: "After accommodating our first cohorts of students in temporary buildings we were delighted to move onto our new school site. The ethos of all Laurus Trust schools is to provide an excellent all-round education for students and our surroundings are fundamental to this.

“At Laurus Ryecroft we are excited to provide young people in Tameside with not only exceptional teaching but also brand new, state-of-the-art facilities in which to learn, all of which helps them to achieve academically and to open the door to the future of their choice."