DfE appoints builder for permanent Boxing Academy home
Despite being in a temporary home, the Boxing Academy was again graded Outstanding across all areas in its latest Ofsted inspection in February 2025
The Department for Education has appointed McLaren Construction to build the Boxing Academy, a 56-student secondary school in Clapton which will serve 12 to 16-year-olds who need an alternative to mainstream education. The new building, set to be complete in September 2026, relocates temporary facilities in Hackney to a nearby site.
Despite being in a temporary home, the Boxing Academy was again graded Outstanding across all areas in its latest Ofsted inspection in February 2025.
The Boxing Academy Trust aims to provide high-quality education and development through the “discipline and ethos” of boxing, and it has a history of “strong outcomes for students who have struggled in mainstream education”.
Architects Holmes Miller will help deliver 1,500 square metres of space that will bring “plentiful daylight” into teaching spaces while maintaining a high level of privacy for students, with classrooms built around a private courtyard.
The Boxing Academy’s staff, students and parents will be able to follow construction through guided tours and presentations.
McLaren Construction’s divisional director Tony Whyte said: “This purpose-built school centered around the sport of boxing promises to be a landmark in both education and school design. It’s hard to imagine how a school that already scores Outstanding across the board can get better, but the completed building will give them the right environment for getting the best out of all the students.”
Principal of the Boxing Academy, Anna Cain, added: “Working with McLaren and Holmes Miller on the design has been a rewarding and collaborative process and we are beyond excited to finally start the build phase. The new school will be a centre of excellence for our unique combination of quality education and boxing, which will benefit the staff and students, as well as the local community. The Boxing Academy has been waiting for a permanent home since 2015.”
The Boxing Academy will be the eighth school delivered by McLaren in the London Borough of Hackney. Past projects are Nightingale Primary School, Mossbourne Riverside Academy, Orchard Primary School, Thomas Fairchild Community School, New Regent’s College PRU, the Garden SEN School and New Ickburgh SEN School.
