Why a £31m school is being torn down before a single class takes place

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleMatford Brook Academy will be torn down [stock image] (Getty/iStock)A new "state-of-the-art" Matford Brook Academy in Exeter, built for over 1,450 children and valued at £30.6m, is to be demolished due to significant structural issues, despite never having been used. The school, which was intended to open three years ago, has been operating from a "village" of temporary classrooms adjacent to the permanent site due to construction delays. The Department for Education, which commissioned an investigation by Kier Group after the original contractor ISG collapsed in 2024, confirmed the building "does not meet the required building standards" and will need to be rebuilt. Pupils are expected to remain in the temporary buildings until at least 2028, with the school expanding these facilities to accommodate a growing number of students from September. Local politicians, including Lib Dem councillor Alan Connett and Sir Mel Stride, have raised serious questions regarding the management and oversight of the contract for a brand-new school deemed unfit for purpose. In full‘State-of-the-art’ £31m school to be demolished without being used by pupilsMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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