Pupils left waiting as £80m school rebuild is delayed

Children at one of London’s top state schools are being taught in temporary classrooms because building work has overrun.

Pupils at Holland Park School should have moved into new £80 million buildings last month, but they will not be ready until November.

The project had already attracted criticism because Kensington and Chelsea council sold off part of the school grounds to pay for it — including a games area, sports hall and swimming pool. The old school buildings have been demolished and rebuilt, but the project has been hit with delays.

A council spokesman said: “The bankruptcy of the supplier of steel set us back several weeks. We therefore moved the opening from the start of term to half term.”

The council expects to make £105 million from selling the land for flats, and the school rebuild will cost £80 million, up from the £60 million estimate when the plan was drawn up five years ago.

Kensington and Chelsea said surplus money from the sale will be reinvested into other schools or sports provision in the borough. A spokesman said no extra places for pupils would be created by the rebuild but the new facilities will be some of the best in London.

Holland Park School plans to turn into an academy next year, meaning it will no longer be under council control.