Permission has been granted for works to begin on the new site of Rosherville Church of England Academy in Northfleet, Kent and will see the provision of 240 places under the £10m expansion plans.
The new building design takes inspiration from the materials of the area and Northfleet’s industrial heritage. The two-storey building will benefit from soft and hard landscaping features, including a two court Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), a 3G artificial grass football pitch, playing fields and a playground. These features will be supplemented by new planting, including sensory planting, new trees and a green roof to enhance biodiversity across the site. The school will also include provision for 15 special educational needs pupils, a 26-place nursery and a science laboratory.
The proposed building has been designed in accordance with the Department for Education’s ‘Output Specification’ 2022 which requires new schools to achieve Net Zero Carbon in Operation. Energy efficiency measures include Solar Photovoltaic Panels on a green roof, a fabric first approach with high levels of air tightness, increasing insulating properties and low heat loss, energy efficiency lighting, Air Source Heat Pump heating system, hybrid ventilation including heat recovering and electric water heating.
The school has been designed to encourage community access outside of school hours and maximise opportunities for the community to use the school’s facilities for activities including sport. A Community Use Strategy forms part of the application to secure community use on the site which enables the Multi-Use Games Area, Football Pitch, School Hall/Studio and the Science Laboratory to be used by the wider community.
The school is being brought forward alongside the development of the new Cable Wharf neighbourhood, delivered by housing developer Keepmoat Homes. Once complete, the development will include shops, cafés and amenities, alongside ample public open space, including Italian gardens and a riverside promenade.
The new school is set to open in September 2025 and is being delivered directly by Kent County Council.