Canopy in place at £35m Abraham Darby Academy

The final piece of a £35 million flagship school in Telford is about to be completed– 10 months after part of the building collapsed and injured five workers.

The canopy across the front of the new Abraham Darby Academy in Madeley was put up over the Easter holidays and developers Kier are now putting the finishing touches to the structure.

The original canopy collapsed in August last year, slightly injuring construction workers and delaying the project for a month while health and safety inspectors examined the building.

The Woodlands Primary School and a new leisure centre on the same site were opened as scheduled in January but the academy's move was put back while the developers sought planning permission for a redesigned canopy.

The academy's pupils will now move in July to avoid disruption during GCSE and A Level exams.

Richard Collin, framework manager at Kier Group, said the canopy would look similar to the previous design but with improved supports.

He said: "The canopy itself won't take that long to complete but we're handing over the school on June 26 and work will continue up until that date.

"The design follows the ethos of the World Heritage Site. We didn't want to distract from what we wanted to achieve."

See also:

• New £35m Telford primary school is opened

• Fresh plans after canopy collapse at £35m school

• Five hurt as steel canopy collapses at Abraham Darby Academy