A YORK construction company has won a contract to build a new teaching block at Handsworth Grange Community Sports College in Sheffield worth £1.8 million.

Evora Construction will build a 960m2 extension for the school and create 10 new classrooms.

Work on the new block began in late 2016 and is due to be completed by August 2018, in time for the new academic year.

Richard Elam, director at Evora Construction said: “Working in the education sector is always a fun challenge; school buildings have a crucial role to play in raising educational standards, and they need to fully suit the needs and challenges of the 21st Century.”

The school, which recently received an Outstanding Ofsted review, is a specialist sports college for children aged 11-16, in the South-East area of Sheffield.

Evora Construction has an extensive history within the education sector, having constructed extensions and carried out refurbishments for numerous schools and colleges across Yorkshire, including Holy Trinity School in Halifax, Iqra Primary School in Bradford, and Askham Bryan College in York.

Mr Elam said: “As a business, we try to engage with schools when working in this sector, and use the building work as a catalyst for a learning project.

“We sometimes conduct classroom visits to discuss topics such as project management, health and safety, or even the history of the children’s town or city. It helps them understand why we’re on site in our bright yellow jackets, and what it actually is that we’re working on.”

“At Handsworth, we’ve already started on the groundwork; we’ve put the steel frames up, so we are well on our way.”