Construction and infrastructure firm Morgan Sindall has reached a major milestone in its work on a £15.4 million special educational needs school in Essex.

Glenwood School is being built for Essex County Council and will offer support for 210 children and young adults who have severe, and multiple, learning difficulties.

Morgan Sindall has now begun working on the timber frame structure of the building.

Once finished next year, the site will feature 26 spacious classrooms, a hydrotherapy pool and specialist facilities to help meet the sensory needs of the young people.

This will include swing therapy rooms and a trampoline room to help promote organisation of the senses, postural control, sequencing space and body awareness.

The Morgan Sindall project team will also deliver an independent living area within the school, which will help older students to prepare for adulthood, along with an immersive room that will use projection imagery to simulate a series of different environments.

Morgan Sindall Area Director, Gavin Napper, commented: “We’re very pleased to be celebrating this key milestone at Glenwood School. The project team is committed to delivering a truly inspirational space where young people with special educational needs can really enjoy learning and feel safe and secure.

“The school includes a number of outstanding facilities and will provide the very best support and learning opportunities for those individuals.”

Meanwhile, Morgan Sindall jumped to the top of the monthly league of contract wins in October and took pole position for the first time in the rolling 12 months total of work secured.

According to information specialist Glenigan, a trio of big project wins for the contractor tipped the tables.

These wins included a £44m school in Tonyrefail for Rhonda Cynon Taff council, a £36.6m infrastructure package at Sighthill in Glasgow for the city council and a £23.6m multi-deck vehicle storage facility in Southampton for ABP.