Pop star Tom Grennan opens new teaching and SEND blocks at Sandy Secondary School

Pop sensation Tom Grennan surprised pupils at Sandy Secondary School when he appeared as the special guest to officially open brand-new learning spaces. He hopes these spaces will provide pupils with more “understanding” and “confidence.”

Grennan’s appearance drew plenty of excitement from students who, since the start of term, have been settling into this innovative facility which is part of Central Bedfordshire Council’s transformation project at the school and caters for students from Year 7 upwards.

The newly expanded facilities, constructed by Ashe Construction and designed by Concertus, include 28 classrooms, such as five IT suites, two specialist food technology rooms, and a new sixth-form centre. There is also a new Aspirational Provision, a three-classroom SEND block that will provide vital support to students with special educational needs, giving them a more inclusive and tailored learning environment.

The new teaching block resonated with Grennan who has revealed that he was recently diagnosed with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), aged 29. And after seeing the Aspirational Provision at Sandy Secondary, he said: “School was definitely a good time for me. I was lucky; I had good friends, and I also had good teachers who believed in me.

“I feel like being a kid and understanding who you are at an early age will definitely give kids (in Sandy) more confidence and understand why they might be a little bit different in school, whether it’s in behaviour or whether it’s in social surroundings.”

After a ribbon-cutting ceremony, a special plaque was unveiled in the singer’s honour before a tour of the state-of-the art facilities, which included a visit to Sandy Secondary School’s brand-new 3G sports pitch.

Before taking up music, the singer, who has recently released his new single ‘Higher’, was on the books as a youth at Luton Town Football Club, Northampton Town and Aston Villa. And after witnessing some football training, Grennan added: “I’ve been hearing that’s par for their curriculum, for kids who may not be good in maths and science and not understanding all that. It’s amazing that they’ve got that. I wish I had that at school.”

The singer, who shot to fame with hits like ‘Little Bit of Love’ and ‘Found What I’ve Been Looking For,’ has a special connection to Sandy Secondary School. His mother, Clare Grennan, worked there, and his grandmother was a governor in the 1980s.

For the class of 2024 and beyond, Karen Hayward, Executive Principal at Sandy Secondary School, shared her excitement about the new developments, saying:“We often talk to our students about dreams, and this was one of mine – to enhance the facilities and provide bespoke learning packages that align with our students’ interests.

“The Aspirational Provision allows us to create a fully inclusive school. After five years of hard work, it’s incredibly rewarding to see this dream come to life. I want to extend my thanks to our staff, students, parents, carers, and Governors for their unwavering support. These new facilities will make a real difference and have a lasting impact on the lives of our young people.”

Steven Ryles, Associate from Concertus, said: “The successful completion of the new teaching block is a credit to the hard work of everyone involved. This was a fantastic project for the team to work on. We take great pride in knowing that our partnerships made a meaningful contribution to the children’s future by delivering these cutting-edge designs where the interior has exceeded expectations for a teaching facility”.

This expansion will help Sandy Secondary School accommodate up to 1,440 students and Central Bedfordshire Council Executive Member for Families and Children, Cllr Steve Owen, said:“The transformation at Sandy Secondary School is a remarkable achievement, which represents our commitment to increasing specialist learning spaces and giving children and young people the best possible opportunities to grow, learn, and succeed in their educational journey and beyond. They’ll certainly never forget the day that Tom Grennan came to their school to help celebrate this fantastic moment.”

Andy Morris, Ashe Construction’s Business Development Director joined in at the event and said: “It was really special to see a local celebrity shine the spotlight on our project at Sandy Secondary School. Our expertise in the education sector is something we are really proud of, and it gives us great pleasure to deliver exceptional facilities such as these, for children in the communities we serve.”