On Tuesday, 25th November 2025, marked an historic day for the Applebee Wood School community. Staff, students, and key partners gathered under bright autumn skies to celebrate the official groundbreaking ceremony for our brand-new school building.

This exciting development comes at a pivotal time, as Applebee Wood School proudly settles into its new position under the umbrella of The Sea View Trust Multi Academy Trust. The start of construction symbolizes not just new bricks and mortar, but a renewed commitment to providing the very best educational environment for our young people.

A Collaborative Celebration

The atmosphere on site was one of excitement and anticipation. We were delighted to be joined by a wide range of stakeholders who have been instrumental in getting this project to the starting line.

Representatives from The Sea View Trust Central Team stood alongside Applebee Wood’s Head Teacher and Deputy Head, united in their vision for the school’s future. Most importantly, several of our fantastic pupils were present to wield the ceremonial spades; Eden, Thomas, Owen, Jaidan, Olivia and Lola —after all, this new building is for them.

We were also pleased to welcome key representatives from the Department for Education (DfE). Tom Bodger and Sarah Seaton from the DfE have been collaborating closely with the school and project management teams, and their support has been invaluable in reaching this stage.

Vision for the Future

The new build is being delivered as part of the prestigious DfE School Rebuilding Programme, representing a significant investment in the local community’s educational infrastructure.

Leaders from both the school and the Trust shared their enthusiasm for this next chapter:

"We are absolutely thrilled to officially welcome Applebee Wood School into The Sea View Trust family. Today’s groundbreaking is symbolic not just of new foundations for a building, but of the strong foundations we are building together for the future of our learners. This significant investment will provide the world-class, modern environment that our staff and pupils truly deserve."

— Angela Holdsworth, CEO, The Sea View Trust

"Joining The Sea View Trust has already brought fantastic opportunities to our school community, and seeing work begin on our new site today truly marks the start of our great new beginning. This new building will transform the learning experience for our pupils, giving them the bespoke, purpose-built spaces they need to thrive. It is an incredibly exciting time to be part of Applebee Wood School."

— John Cockerill, Head Teacher, Applebee Wood School

"Reaching this milestone today is a testament to the incredible hard work and collaboration between the Trust, the school leadership, the DfE, and our construction partners. Seeing shovels finally in the ground is a huge motivator for the whole operations team. We are deeply committed to delivering a state-of-the-art facility that will serve this community effectively for generations to come."

— Nicola Chester, Chief Operating Officer, The Sea View Trust

 

 

Our Project Partners

A project of this scale requires a dedicated and expert team. We are working closely with Myles Hart, our Project Manager from MACE, alongside the Department for Education.

The construction itself is being led by Tilbury Douglas. We would like to extend a special thank you to Darren Wescott, the Site Manager. Darren has been fantastic—hands-on in coordinating the site setup and proactively communicating with nearby residents to ensure the construction process is as smooth as possible for our local community.

 

 

What’s Coming Next?

Over the coming months, we will watch as the steel frame rises and the vision starts to become reality. When completed, the new Applebee Wood School will feature:

  • The New School Building will accommodate up to 168 students and 77 staff, as per the existing capacity. The building will be a two-storey structure with three wings, to accommodate the different educational key stages.
  • At ground level, the Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) suite will be positioned within the west wing, offering its own unit with external access. All no-ambulant classrooms will be located on the ground level within the northern wing, facilitating direct access to outdoor areas
  • All staff, administrative and therapy areas will become centralised in the core of the building and there will be a parent room and waiting area incorporated into the reception space to accommodate visitors, offering a secondary level of security for the site.
  • The eastern wing will house communal spaces such as the assembly and dining hall, along with back-of house facilities like storage and plant space
  • The first-floor plan includes secondary classrooms in the northern wing and primary classrooms in the east wing. Both levels have learning resource centres (LRCs) and staff rooms for supervision.
  • There will also be new playing pitch provision capable of accommodating a U11/U12 football pitch and provision of new Multi Use Games Area (MUGA), as well as site wide landscaping, an all-weather track suitable for non-ambulant pupils; external hard play areas, forest school habitat area and a vegetable garden allotment area.

 

We look forward to sharing regular updates, photos, and milestones with parents, carers, and the wider community as the build progresses. Keep an eye on our blog and social media channels for the latest news!

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www.applebeewood.co.uk

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