New building for Trinity School to be built at The Gilberd

The Trinity School will eventually open at Mersea Homes’ Chesterwell development in Mile End, Colchester.

However, from September its first cohort of pupils will be taught on the site of The Gilberd, in Brinkley Lane, Highwoods, also run by the Alpha Trust.

A planning application was submitted to Colchester Council to install two temporary buildings at The Gilberd for Trinity School students. The buildings will provide space for 240 pupils, with two intakes of 120 planned before Trinity School opens in 2023.

There will be eight teaching areas, toilets, group rooms and staff offices in the new buildings, which will be removed after 2023.

The planning application said: “The need for the new temporary secondary school accommodation is due to the construction of the new Trinity School within the Chesterwell development.

Land - the Chesterwell development where the new school will be built

“The school is due to take its first intake of pupils in 2021, but the new school building won’t be available to pupils for two academic years.”

Construction of the temporary school will be built over two years.

The first phase of construction, including classrooms and an admin building, will take place this summer.

In 2022 a second storey will be added to the single-storey classroom building.

The application added: “The pupils of Trinity School will be taught in the specific new temporary building.

“However they will use existing Gilberd School facilities for dining, external play and sports. This is the major benefit of having the temporary school on an existing school site.”

Colchester Council has now approved the plans.