Reviving KES History: Restorative Work to Magnificent Grade II Listed Building Finalised

Since the amalgamation of King Edward VII Academy into Inspiration Trust in September 2021, the secondary school and sixth form has worked closely with Russen and Turner as well as Smiths Building Services to renovate the beautiful Grade II listed building in which they are located.

Following a £3.3m investment from Inspiration Trust, the works have been completed to an incredibly high standard, restoring and retaining the 500+ year old school's historical features, while renovating the areas which required some much-needed modernisation.

The iconic Main Hall has had extensive work to its parquet flooring, restoring it to its former glory filled with history and grandeur.

The refurbished science laboratories which, although a charming nod to the school’s heritage, were no longer fit for purpose having not seen redecoration in over 100 years.

KES Academy’s brand-new drama and music studios have been completely transformed with impressive facilities including full soundproofing, music decks and a performance space too. These new facilities promise to enable KES Academy’s first-class curriculum to be truly accelerated into the 21st Century.

The school's beautiful new library boasts high ceilings, comfortable seating areas for reading and peaceful spaces for quiet study. Situated in the heart of the school, the space allows its students to harness the pleasure of reading. Students have taken full advantage of these facilities, being the ideal spot for playing chess and catching up on their Sparx maths homework. The library has been named the Lennensian Library after the former students and teachers that continue to support the school as part of The Old Lennensians Association, and of whom kindly gifted £5000 for new books.

All classrooms across B Block have been refurbished, sixth form spaces in C Block have been redecorated, and all areas of the building have received IT infrastructure updates.

Students across the secondary school and sixth form have already been making good use of the renovated spaces, benefitting from the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, and enabling the school to expand its offer to include Science, Performing Arts and Music.

You can take a look at the transformation for yourself below:

Photography included below in our gallery credit Ian Burt Photography.