THE new Livingstone Academy building has been declared a health and safety risk, meaning pupils are still waiting to move on site.

Reception and year 7 pupils began at Livingstone Academy in September 2021, with plans initially to move into the building in Madeira Road the following month.

However, pupils will have to continue studying at the Bournemouth and Poole College site as the Department for Education declared the new building a health and safety risk.

Kimberly Elms, principal of Livingstone Academy, said: “A problem with the cold-water system in place in the primary building block at Livingstone Academy Bournemouth (LAB) has come to light and has been declared a health and safety risk by the Department for Education.

“Kier, the building contractor in charge of the LAB site, is working on a safe and permanent solution which we are hopeful will be in place in the coming weeks. However, at this stage we have no assurance of an exact time frame.

“Until the building can be made safe for our occupancy, we will continue at Ashcam House on the campus of Bournemouth and Poole College.

“This latest update is disappointing for everyone involved, especially the children and teachers.

“I would like to commend the entire LAB community for their resilience and positivity in spite of the challenges presented, including Covid-19 restrictions which have slowed building work.

“The understanding and encouragement from our families has been outstanding and I am especially grateful for their continued support of the LAB mission to deliver a transformative education.”

As reported, Covid restrictions delayed the building work on the £28.5million project which meant pupils started life at the school studying at the Bournemouth & Poole College.

The initial plan was to move into the first phase of the building in October before gaining access to the rest of the building in January.

The school is the brainchild of Games Workshop founder Sir Ian Livingstone who wanted to make learning an enjoyable experience.

Sir Ian told the Daily Echo in January he was “frustrated” with the delay but anticipated a full opening in September.

He said: “It’s frustrating [it hasn’t opened] but you have to accept the pandemic has put a lot of projects like this back. A lot of the workforce were ill, whilst it’s not inevitable there would be a delay, you can’t really complain too much.

“The important thing is it will be ready for full opening in September which is great.

“I’m super excited about the school. It’s been a passion project for nearly ten years. A school which speaks to today’s children and it’s been a long road to get to this point but it seems to resonate with parents.”