PUPILS could start life at a new school in Bournemouth on the site of a current college if the building work is not completed in time.

The Livingstone Academy will open for reception and year 7 pupils in September after work started to redevelop the former police station on Madeira and Strafford roads.

However, pupils could start their new school life at the Bournemouth and Poole College after the Covid restrictions slowed building work on the £28.5million project.

Kimberly Elms, the principal of Livingstone Academy said: “We held meetings in early July with our parent community to tell them about the risks facing the construction team due to the impact of the pandemic and Covid restrictions.

“Whilst Kier is taking every measure to increase the pace and resourcing on the site in order to be ready for the start of school, the Department for Education has secured us an alternative site in Ashcam House on the campus of nearby Bournemouth and Poole College.

“The DfE and Kier will confirm which site we will start school in by August 18.

“Because of this, we will start school on September 13, which is one week later for year 7, but represents no change for reception students.

“From September 6, we will be engaging our year 7 students via post and through the online classrooms we established with them during our online transition events.

“Parents have been overwhelmingly understanding and supportive as we remain committed to deliver the same high-quality and innovative learning experience to children, regardless of where we must open.

“A recording of the parent meeting along with a transcript of the parent questions was shared with all parents and carers who might not have been able to attend one of the two online sessions in July and we will continue to send email updates to our families as we receive them throughout the summer.

“In the meantime, I welcome all enquiries about the school and am happy to respond via email on kelms@livingstone-aspirations.org.”

The academy is the brainchild of Games Workshop founder Ian Livingstone and will have a curriculum focussed on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths).

It will open with support from Aspirations Academies Trust, which already runs Jewell, Magna and Ocean.

CEOs of Aspirations Academies Trust, Steve and Paula Kenning, said the school would help pupils get qualifications in a “transdisciplinary way”.