Eight education building schemes worth more than £270 million have moved into the delivery phase after the Department for Education (DfE) approved the latest tranche of rebuild and refurbishment contracts.

Kier secured the largest award with a £69 million full rebuild of Upton-by-Chester High School, reinforcing its strong position on the DfE’s School Rebuilding Programme. Tilbury Douglas won three schemes totalling just over £74 million, covering Pershore High School in Worcestershire, Applebee Wood Community Specialist School in Lancashire, and East Durham College.

Bowmer & Kirkland has been appointed to deliver the £44 million rebuild of Gosford Hill School in Oxfordshire. In south-west London, Willmott Dixon has signed a £35 million contract for Barnes School and Hospital. Offsite specialist Reds10 also features among the winners with a £20 million SEND school in Suffolk, reflecting continued momentum for modern methods of construction across the education estate.

The projects form part of the government’s multi-year programme to modernise and improve school and college facilities, addressing condition issues while creating energy-efficient, future-ready learning environments. Each scheme will now proceed through the DfE’s regional construction frameworks, which cover all nine English regions and are designed to streamline procurement, support local supply chains and maintain consistent standards.

Collectively, the package represents a significant investment in education infrastructure, promising upgraded teaching spaces, specialist facilities and improved accessibility for pupils and staff. Ground investigations, detailed design and enabling works are expected to begin shortly, with build schedules to be confirmed via the respective framework lots as each project progresses.

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