The DfE funding, along with a further £175,000 from the school budget, will be used to fund three important infrastructure improvement projects at the school. This is headlined by a significant extension to the existing Science block through the creation of two state-of-the-art Science labs. This will be built in the space created by the removal of the obsolete mobile classrooms. In the Grade II listed main school building, two existing labs which are no longer fit for purpose, will be converted into three new multi-purpose classrooms offering contemporary learning spaces. Work will start on the new classrooms and laboratories this summer with a completion date of Easter 2022.

The funding will also be used for urgent upgrades to the electrical systems and switchgear in the Victorian-era Main Building with additional improvements to emergency and external lighting.  The final project will see the roof of the LRC and English Block, which dates back to the 1960s, replaced.  The new roof will provide significantly improved insulation to reduce energy costs.  This will be augmented further by new ceilings throughout the block with integrated energy efficient LED lighting. 

Claire Giblin, headteacher, said: “This is fantastic news for the school and all our students.  The Science department have been driving the recent growth of our Sixth Form.  I am delighted that our future medics and vets will finally have the dynamic facilities needed to meet the demands and practical elements of our exciting new Science curriculum.” 

Richard Graham, MP for Gloucester, congratulated the school on the news: “As we come out of the pandemic all sectors and Education especially will need help in different ways. An old school building like Denmark Road literally needs a ‘Build Back Better’ approach to modernise facilities for the teaching of STEM subjects and help pupils achieve great things afterwards. So, this £1m win by the school from a government fund for building improvements and new science labs is a huge step forward for the school and its pupils.”

Denmark Road High School, heralded by the Sunday Times as ‘Masters of Reinvention’, has grown significantly in student numbers since Claire Giblin became headteacher in January 2018:  “We have nearly 200 more students now across our main school and Sixth Form.  Therefore, the three new classrooms will be a much-needed addition.  The new rooms will be versatile learning spaces which will enable us to incorporate new technologies and collaborative working opportunities.”