York school charts exciting future with plans for unified city-centre campus

Bootham School has unveiled a two-year plan to transform its York city-centre facilities which will enable the school to bring all of its students together on the same campus for the first time.

The Quaker school, which is currently split across two locations – one on Bootham and one in Clifton – will invest in new facilities to create a self-contained junior school at the Bootham campus, alongside the renovation of the property at 61 Bootham, part of the school site, to develop a specially designed study centre for its College (sixth form) students.

As part of the plans to develop its facilities, the school is in advanced negotiation to agree a 99-year lease of the Bootham Park playing fields, located next to the school. The fields will undergo significant works to become a first-rate facility, including the creation of two new football pitches. During the school day the pitches will be used by Bootham students and local partner primary schools, while evenings and weekends will allow community access for youth football teams — partnerships that reflect the school’s longstanding commitment to York.

Bootham’s split location currently sees students and staff regularly being transported between the two sites for the use of sports pitches and specialist teaching facilities; the planned upgrades to the Bootham site combined with the lease of the playing fields means this will no longer be necessary.

The redevelopment of the school’s facilities on Bootham is expected to be complete in late 2028. Bootham’s current junior site in Clifton will be marketed for sale and is expected to be earmarked for residential development. Some of the funds raised will go towards the planned upgrades to the Bootham site, and some will go into a fund to extend the school’s existing transformational bursaries for young people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access education at Bootham.

Bootham Head, Deneal Smith, commented “Our aim is always to provide a first-class educational experience for all our students, and to build on our success across every area of school life – from excellent academic results and sporting triumphs to outstanding performances in music and drama – while ensuring that our Quaker ethos remains at the heart of everything we do. By bringing the whole school together, improving our facilities and investing in transformational bursary provision, I believe we have the opportunity to continue to strengthen Bootham for generations to come.”

Notes:
For more information please contact:-

Emily Sowden, Director of Marketing and Admissions; emily.sowden@boothamschool.com / 01904 623261