Henry Boot Construction has completed the first phase of a major £3 million pro bono Yorkshire Children’s Charity and Nexus Multi Academy Trust project to transform Hilltop School in Rotherham – a special educational needs school supporting 180 children with complex needs.

The first phase was officially unveiled at a celebratory event and site tour, attended by representatives from Henry Boot Construction and its supply chain partners, Yorkshire Children’s Charity, and the Nexus Multi Academy Trust.

The milestone marked the completion of extensive internal reconfigurations, including demolition, the installation of new partition walls, and re-opening up space by removing an independent steel frame structure over the internal courtyard.

All delivered within a 15-week programme, this has created four new classrooms, with associated WC and kitchenette facilities, and staff spaces, providing modern, accessible learning environments that will significantly enhance the experience for pupils.

Delivered in partnership with Yorkshire Children’s Charity through its Great Yorkshire Build initiative, the scheme is replacing temporary, cramped buildings with modern, purpose-built facilities designed to meet pupils’ complex learning and accessibility needs. More than 50 Yorkshire-based construction firms have collaborated on the project.

Works on the transformation started in July 2025, with further phases set to include new-build classrooms and a rebound centre – an area designed to host therapeutic spaces.

Ian Gresser, Head of Pre-Construction at Henry Boot Construction, said:

“Completing the first phase at Hilltop School is a fantastic milestone for everyone involved. We’re incredibly proud to have been the first contractor on site to kickstart this project and to see real progress already taking shape.

“Social value is about legacy, and here that means giving children the environment they deserve. The collaboration, skill, and generosity of our team and supply chain partners has been outstanding – helping us to create spaces that will genuinely make a difference for children, teachers, and families across the region. We’re looking forward to the next phase and getting one step closer to making the full transformation a reality.”

Henry Boot Construction delivered all main contractor duties free of charge, including preliminaries and site management, while its supply chain provided time, labour, and materials at discounted rates, reducing costs to the charity to a fraction of typical market rates – saving over £650,000.

Founder and chief executive of Yorkshire Children’s Charity, Charlotte Farrington, comments: “Hilltop School has been our biggest and most ambitious Great Yorkshire Build to date, and the way the Yorkshire property industry has rallied behind this project is nothing short of phenomenal. The children at Hilltop finally have the supportive, nurturing environment they deserve, and their teachers now have the tools and spaces they need to do their job.”

Yorkshire Children’s Charity’s Great Yorkshire Build initiative is focused on transforming the outdated and inadequate buildings often found in SLD (Severe Learning Difficulty), SILC (Specialist Inclusive Learning Centres) and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) schools across the region.

Warren Carratt, Chief Executive of Nexus Multi Academy Trust said: “Demand for special school places has never been higher, so this work will create more high-quality choice for many more families and will give us a site that is a beacon of good practice across the county”.

Hilltop School is part of the Nexus Multi Academy Trust and supports children and young people aged 2–19 with severe and complex learning difficulties. The school was previously featured in the BBC’s SEND Help documentary in 2023, which highlighted the crisis facing the sector and the urgent need for better facilities.