Sunderland headteacher ‘delighted’ at confirmation school looks set for new building and facilities as part of Government’s School Rebuilding Programme.

After being built in 1965, the current site on Thornholme Road has been the school’s home for 57 years but is now “approaching the end of its life”.

The academy is part of the Consilium Academies trust, who said they’ve “invested heavily” in the school’s ageing facilities over the last two years, and have welcomed the news the school is one of 239 schools across the country to be chosen as part of the programme.

Headteacher Sue Hamilton said: “We are delighted our school has been prioritised as part of the programme. I want to thank our colleagues in Consilium for continuing to invest in our current building as well as all the hard work that has gone into this bid.

"We are hugely indebted to our building, which has educated and nurtured so many local children in the last 57 years. We look forward to this next chapter as we start work on improving our building and facilities.”

David Clayton, Chief Executive at Consilium Academies, added:“This is fantastic news for our students, staff, families, and Thornhill’s entire community that will help it continue to go from strength to strength. I’m thrilled the huge amount of hard work our Estates Team has put into this bid has paid off.

“Our aim is to have the right places for the right time for our students and staff. The environment our children learn in can unlock an excellent education in a place of safety. It’s also essential we create healthy places to allow our people to work at their best.

"This successful bid will enable us to carry out our estates vision at Thornhill, which will be hugely beneficial to all who learn and work there for decades to come.”

SEE ALSO: Plans for new children's home specialising in youngsters with autism spectrum disorders have been submitted to Sunderland development chiefs

Thornhill Academy was chosen from an initial list of 1,105 nominations.

The School Rebuilding Programme is aimed at creating modern education environments, including facilities such as state-of-the-art classrooms, science labs, sports halls and dining rooms.

While there is currently no set date for construction work to start, a statement on the Department for Education website stipulates “projects will enter delivery at a rate of approximately 50 schools per year”.