Bury St Edmunds school Howard Community Academy celebrates revamped sports hall

A refurbished sports facility at a Bury St Edmunds school has officially opened its doors after almost £60,000 was invested in improvements.

Howard Community Academy's sports barn had been unused over recent years, but a major revamp means all pupils can access a range of sporting experiences.

The new resources will add to the available large outside spaces and will allow the school to host local competitions and tournaments, with the community also being able to access these facilities too.

Attended by parents, staff, pupils and members of the local community, Anglian Learning, which the school is part of, welcomed Suffolk County Councillor Robert Everitt to officially re-open the facility on January 13.

Pupils and staff from across the school took part in in the celebration, culminating in a morning of sporting activities.

Alison Weir, headteacher at Howard Community Academy, said: “We are delighted about the opening of our new sports barn.

"As part of our vision to be at the heart of the community, we are pleased to be able to grow and expand our offering for the benefit of both our existing and future pupils."

"This is just one of the many exciting developments taking place at Howard Community Academy since we joined Anglian Learning two years ago.

"We have been on a journey to achieve our Artsmark award, giving our pupils every opportunity to shine across the full breadth of subjects. We have appointed a number of exciting new members of staff who are bringing a wealth of talent and enthusiasm to the school, and they are already making a big impact on our young learners.

"The addition of the sports barn will play a key role in our drive to provide high-quality learning and a wealth of opportunities for our pupils.”

Since joining Anglian Learning in 2020 the school has been able to gradually refurbish the sports barn. With the support of the trust and some additional funding, almost £60,000 has been invested into the improvements.

Pupils at the school shared their excitement about the new facility, with one student saying 'the sports barn is big and amazing, and I am looking forward to playing football and basketball' and another commented “it is great now that when it is muddy outside, we can play sports inside'.

Jonathan Culpin, chief executive of Anglian Learning, said: “The excellent facilities of the sports barn for Howard Community Academy provides another fantastic learning environment for our pupils and the opportunity for many new educational experiences.

"We are really proud of all the staff at the school and within our central team who have worked hard to refurbish these facilities.

"Howard Community Academy has gone from strength to strength since it joined our Trust and we could not be prouder of their achievements across all areas of the curriculum.”