An historic York school has revealed major changes to strengthen it for “generations to come”.
Bootham School is to sell one of its buildings and develop its main site.
And it is going to lease Bootham Park and create two football pitches there.
At the moment, the Quaker-run private school is split over two locations – the junior school is on Rawcliffe Lane, and the senior school is on Bootham.
The Rawcliffe Lane site will be sold and new junior school facilities developed on the Bootham campus.
The school also owns 61 Bootham. Under the plans, this will be renovated and turned into a study centre for its college, or sixth form, students.
And the school is in advanced negotiations to agree a 99-year lease of the Bootham Park playing fields, located next to the school.
A school spokesperson said: “The fields will undergo significant works to become a first-rate facility, including the creation of two new football pitches.
“During the school day the pitches will be used by Bootham students and local partner primary schools, while evenings and weekends will allow community access for youth football teams – partnerships that reflect the school’s longstanding commitment to York.”
The developments, due to be completed in 2028, will end the need for students and staff to move between the two sites for the use of sports pitches and specialist teaching facilities.
Bootham’s current junior site in Clifton will be marketed for sale and is expected to be turned into homes.
Some of the money raised will go towards the planned upgrades to the Bootham site, and some will go into the bursaries fund to enable young people to go to Bootham School who couldn’t otherwise afford it.
Bootham Head, Deneal Smith, commented “Our aim is always to provide a first-class educational experience for all our students, and to build on our success across every area of school life – from excellent academic results and sporting triumphs to outstanding performances in music and drama – while ensuring that our Quaker ethos remains at the heart of everything we do.
“By bringing the whole school together, improving our facilities and investing in transformational bursary provision, I believe we have the opportunity to continue to strengthen Bootham for generations to come.”