Former Premier League stadium to become a SCHOOL with kids to have ‘cutting edge’ sporting facilities
MIDDLESBROUGH’S Riverside Stadium is set to be used as a makeshift school from September.
Boro played at the ground in the Premier League between 1998-2009, and again in the 2016-17 season.
The Riverside has a capacity of 34,742 and boasts state-of-the-art facilities which pupils will have access to.
Middlesbrough have opened the doors to students of Outwood Riverside Academy, who will be taught in temporary classrooms.
The bizarre move has come about because the building of a new school, which was scheduled for completion in 2023, has been delayed.
And another temporary site that was supposed to host pupils in Easton is also not ready.
Headteacher Melissa Brant-Smith said pupils will attend classes at the Riverside for a “short time” and she confirmed students would be taught the full curriculum.
Year 7s starting the school in September will use the stadium, while older kids will be taught in temporary premises at Russell Street.
A new building for 900 pupils at Lower East Street in Middlehaven was approved by Middlesbrough Council in 2018.
But issues with a building contractor combined with the pandemic meant the site missed its original 2023 opening and the completion date was pushed back to 2026.
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In March, a DfE spokesperson said it was working with Middlesbrough Council and Outwood Grange Academies Trust to “urgently progress” its delivery.
MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East Andy McDonald previously questioned whether it would be built quicker than “some of civilisation’s greatest constructions”.