Middlesbrough secondary school pupils to be taught in Riverside Stadium due to building delays

Pupils starting at a Middlesbrough secondary school in September will have to begin their education in the town's football stadium.

Year sevens at Outwood Riverside Academy will be taught in temporary classrooms at the Riverside Stadium as the school awaits a new site to be finished at Middlehaven.

The children were originally due to travel to a temporary site in Eston in the autumn term - but parents have been told that site will now not be ready for them by the start of term.

It's after a new school building for 900 pupils at Lower East Street in Middlehaven was first agreed by Middlesbrough Council in 2018.

Issues with a building contractor and the pandemic meant the site missed its original 2023 opening and the completion date was pushed back to 2026.

Outwood Riverside opened in initial accommodation at Queens Square in before moving to Russell Street.

Melissa Brant-Smith, principal at Outwood Academy Riverside said: "We are pleased to confirm that a site has been secured for our incoming Year 7 students, for September 2024. The temporary site is on Burns Road, Eston.

"For a short time at the beginning of the new term, while the site at Eston is being finalised, students will temporarily attend classes at Riverside Stadium, home of Middlesbrough Football Club. We have already shared this exciting news with children and their families.

"During this period, our students will still experience the full curriculum and they will have access to Middlesbrough College’s cutting-edge sports facilities.

"Arrangements for transportation between Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough College, and our Russell Street location will be shared with families ahead of September."

A spokesperson for Outwood Grange Academies Trust said "suitable spaces" would be used until the Eston site is complete.

MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East Andy McDonald previously questioned whether it would be built quicker than “some of civilisation’s greatest constructions”.

On current form, he said it could take longer than the Colosseum in Rome, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro and the Parthenon in Athens.

In March, a DfE spokesperson said they were working with Middlesbrough Council and Outwood Grange Academies Trust to “urgently progress” its delivery.

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