Selston school set for phase two of major revamp with new central hub
The second phase of a major plan to revamp and improve the main school in Selston has been unveiled.
Selston High School was given permission by Ashfield Council last November to go ahead with the first phase – a new, high-quality £1m sports hall, which could include courts for five-a-side football, netball, badminton and fitness classes.
Now a fresh planning application reveals details of the next stage, which is to refurbish the school’s central courtyard to create a new dining room, kitchen and upgraded library.
Phase three will feature more refurbishment, and phase four will focus on the demolition of the existing leisure centre within the school grounds and the relocation of the staff car park.
Selston High, formerly known as Matthew Holland School, converted to academy status ten years ago and is now one of ten secondary schools in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire that are run by the Kirkby-based Two Counties Trust.
With head teacher David Broomhead at the helm, it is currently home to about 880 pupils and was confirmed as a ‘good’ school at its last inspection by the education watchdog Ofsted in June 2025.
The school and the trust worked alongside Ashfield Council and Selston Parish Council to win approval, and gain investment, for the sports hall, which will also be open to the public on evenings, at weekends and during school holidays.
Now David Plummer, corporate services director of the trust, has submitted a planning application for a lawful development certificate for the courtyard scheme.
It is accompanied by detailed statements and drawings from the trust’s agent, Sheffield-based architects Race Cottam Associates.
Laurie Cottam, managing director of the company, said in a letter to Ashfield Council: “The proposed refurbishment works will provide new central dining facilities and kitchen, a new roof to form an adjoining covered courtyard and new teaching spaces, with associated hard landscaping.”
The current courtyard building, which was built in the 1940s, houses some of Selston High’s sports facilities.
The rest can be found within the leisure centre, which planning papers describe as too remote and ‘no longer fit for purpose’.
Race Cottam says the current dining area is not considered big enough and is ‘causing difficulties for the school’, while the current library is too small and ‘doesn’t meet the existing needs of the school’.
Furthermore, the library was split on two levels, ‘causing accessibility issues’ and was ‘not located centrally within the campus, so is not often used by students’.
Once the new sports hall is built, the aim is to create a dining area that can hold as many as 360 students at any one time, plus the upgraded library, all under the new, covered courtyard.
Race Cottam concludes: “The new dining hub and library would be an invaluable addition to the school, enhancing the experience for staff, existing students and future students”.
Ashfield Council’s planning officers are currently considering the application and have set a deadline date of Tuesday, April 14 for a decision or recommendation.
The details of many planning applications can be found in public notices advertised by local and regional newspapers. To catch up on all the latest public notices, go to https://publicnoticeportal.uk/