school development
Ceremony marks the opening of £4.8m Lichfield Primary School

Ceremony marks the opening of £4.8m Lichfield Primary School

Fradley Park Primary School in Lichfield, Staffordshire, celebrated the official opening of its £4.8m free school with the local community last week (Friday 13 January). The two-storey building, which was constructed by Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson and completed in summer 2022, opened to 210 primary and 26 nursery pupils in

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Plans approved for Burgess Hill school

Plans approved for Burgess Hill school

Plans to develop a new secondary school fin the Burgess Hill area have been approved. West Sussex County Council and co-applicant Homes England’s plans to create a zero-carbon school were approval by Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee on 15 December 2022. Committee members praised the ‘excellent’ and ‘unique’ designs

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Morgan Sindall Delivers School in Suffolk

Morgan Sindall has delivered the new £4.9 million Pines Primary School in Red Lodge, Suffolk, on behalf of Suffolk County Council. The development includes first-class facilities and places for reception, year one and year two pupils. A pre-school was also built to accommodate two to five year-olds. “The journey from

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AB Glass enlisted for Cwmbran school development

Aluminium manufacturing and installation company AB Glass has been appointed by Kier Construction to carry out works at a new school development based in Cwmbran. The £30 million redevelopment of Croesyceiliog School will accommodate 1200 pupils aged 11 to 16 and is linked to the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools programme. Swansea-based

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Latest Issue
Issue 323 : Dec 2024

school development

Ceremony marks the opening of £4.8m Lichfield Primary School

Ceremony marks the opening of £4.8m Lichfield Primary School

Fradley Park Primary School in Lichfield, Staffordshire, celebrated the official opening of its £4.8m free school with the local community last week (Friday 13 January). The two-storey building, which was constructed by Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson and completed in summer 2022, opened to 210 primary and 26 nursery pupils in autumn last year – being the first school to be built in the area in over 40 years.  “We’re delighted to have marked the official opening of Fradley Park Primary School, working collaboratively alongside Staffordshire County Council and Entrust, which has provided much-needed school places for young children within the local area. The brand-new facilities and state-of-the-art classrooms have created enhanced environments for children to learn and grow, and the ceremony was a great opportunity to see them explore their fantastic new school,” said Kevin Dodds, Construction Director at G F Tomlinson. The opening ceremony was attended by Ben Robinson, High Sheriff and County Councillor Jonathan Price from Staffordshire County Council, Construction Director Kevin Dodds from G F Tomlinson, and CEO of John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust Mike Donoghue. As well as approximately 50 guests, comprising school staff and governors, John Taylor MAT directors and members, and colleagues from the local authority and other partner and community organisations. “I was really pleased to officially open Fradley Park Primary, which is the latest primary school in the county to be built in response to growing demand for school places in the area. It’s been great to see the first classes of children settling in well to their new school, which looks to be a fantastic place for them to start their education journey,” commented Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Education Jonathan Price. The occasion was marked with speeches and a presentation of the school’s journey, before the Lichfield school was officially opened by Ben Robinson, High Sheriff of Staffordshire County Council and County Councillor Jonathan Price, Cabinet Member for Education and SEND. The school was delivered through the Staffordshire County Council Framework, and project managed by Entrust, and is now being managed by the John Taylor Multi Academy Trust. This is one of six educational schemes that G F Tomlinson has delivered within Staffordshire alongside Entrust, with the Derby-headquartered firm recently completing the latest scheme – Bramshall Meadows First School in Uttoxeter. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

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Plans approved for Burgess Hill school

Plans approved for Burgess Hill school

Plans to develop a new secondary school fin the Burgess Hill area have been approved. West Sussex County Council and co-applicant Homes England’s plans to create a zero-carbon school were approval by Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee on 15 December 2022. Committee members praised the ‘excellent’ and ‘unique’ designs before voting unanimously in favour. The ambitious design will allow the school to generate its own renewable energy on site without using any fossil fuels. It aims to be the first school in West Sussex to achieve Passivhaus certification, the highest standard of energy efficiency a building can reach, and offer excellent educational facilities to 900 local children. The school will be created at Homes England’s new Brookleigh development near Burgess Hill to provide a high-quality education to families of the 3,500 homes and the surrounding area. “Planning approval marks a major milestone in our ambition to create an environmentally-friendly and high-quality new secondary school in Mid Sussex. It is uniquely designed to achieve Passivhaus certification and lead the way in energy efficiency. In addition, Brookleigh families will be able to walk or cycle to their new place of education, again demonstrating the County Council’s commitment to significantly reducing carbon emissions as part of our Climate Change Strategy. By creating this modern and high standard school, we are investing in our children’s future and in the long-term future of our county,” said Nigel Jupp, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills. West Sussex County Council has approved capital funding of £57.060m to build the secondary school, making it the largest capital project the council has delivered. This includes a £18.159m contribution from Homes England as part of the overall development. The new secondary school is being delivered through the County Council’s multi-disciplinary consultancy partnership with Faithful+Gould, with Atkins and Cundalls leading on the design. The school will include a Special Support Centre enabling children with special educational needs and disabilities to be supported to learn in a mainstream school. Net-zero in operation, the building has energy efficiency at the heart of every area of its design. Its position will provide maximum sunlight to nearly 1,000 solar photovoltaic panels generating an estimated 296,000 kWh of energy a year. The LED lighting will be controlled automatically by daylight and movement detection. The main building will have fresh air ventilation, keeping the school a comfortable temperature, even in extreme heat. “This is a really positive step forward for the proposed school which has been designed to promote well-being and educational attainment for all learners who use the building and create a project with a low environmental impact,” concluded Richard Christmas, lead designer at Atkins. Building, Design and Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

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Morgan Sindall Delivers School in Suffolk

Morgan Sindall has delivered the new £4.9 million Pines Primary School in Red Lodge, Suffolk, on behalf of Suffolk County Council. The development includes first-class facilities and places for reception, year one and year two pupils. A pre-school was also built to accommodate two to five year-olds. “The journey from concept to completion is a rewarding experience. It is even more pleasing when you recognise the extent to which that project will impact the local community,” said Saul Humphrey, managing director of Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure in the East region. “We are incredibly proud to hand over the completed building, at the start of the new academic year to the Pines’ first cohort of pupils. We are confident that the new facilities will not only support the Red Lodge community with its immediate requirements, but create a legacy that will be of benefit for generations to come,” he added. The ribbon cutting ceremony that marked the official opening of the new school was attended by children’s author Tony Mitton. Head teacher at the Pines, Kerry Darby, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of our new school. The Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure team has seamlessly managed the project from start to finish, to ensure that we were able to open for the beginning of the new academic year. The completed state-of-the-art building has surpassed our expectations and is allowing us to deliver an enriching and engaging curriculum for all our current and future ‘Pines Pioneers’.” “We are proud to open what we believe will become an outstanding educational facility and are honoured to be joined by members of the Red Lodge and Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure communities for our special opening ceremony,” Kerry continued. Project partners on the scheme included design and property consultants Concertus.  

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AB Glass enlisted for Cwmbran school development

Aluminium manufacturing and installation company AB Glass has been appointed by Kier Construction to carry out works at a new school development based in Cwmbran. The £30 million redevelopment of Croesyceiliog School will accommodate 1200 pupils aged 11 to 16 and is linked to the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools programme. Swansea-based AB Glass will manufacture and install a range of aluminum systems for the project, including Kawneer AA100 curtain walling, AA540 windows, and AA190 and AA720 doors. Vitral UK rooflights will also be used for the project. The company is due to start work on the new development this month (August 2018). Alan Brayley, managing director of AB Glass, said: “The education sector is a significant area of business for AB Glass and we are pleased to be adding to our portfolio with the Croesyceiliog School development. This project also showcases our continuing relationship with Kier Construction, with AB Glass having secured a number of contracts with this leading construction company. “We are keen to get started on this project imminently and look forward to seeing the development taking shape.” AB Glass boasts a robust reputation for delivering success on developments within the education sector, particularly in Wales. In addition to being contracted for the Croesyceiliog School project, the company has also provided its services to Swansea University’s Bay Campus; Briton Ferry School, Neath Port Talbot; Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera, Neath Port Talbot; Ysgol Bae Baglan, Neath Port Talbot; and the new University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) campus being developed in Swansea Waterfront.

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Hillingdon Council shortlisted for industry award for Northwood School building

Hillingdon Council has been shortlisted for a prestigious award at the London Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards for its rebuild of Northwood Secondary School. The £35 million project will offer 1,080 school places for pupils in Hillingdon, and has been shortlisted for an award for ‘Best Educational Building.’ The school building has three storeys, measures 9,800 square metres in size and promotes an academic focus on performing arts. The building features 53 classrooms, specialist design and technology rooms, a sports hall and a sixth form study.  A stage area with retractable seating sits at the heart of the school, and additional arts facilities include an outdoor amphitheatre and performing arts specialist rooms. Mark Anderson, Headteacher at Northwood School said:  “We officially opened Northwood School in October last year, and I’d like to thank staff at Hillingdon Council for all their support. This school is about inspiring staff, students and the local community, and already the new building has brought an added energy and ambition to our staff and students, as well as enormous sense of pride. We are also very pleased that the building is being used by the community seven days a week. With our new building, we are creating an outstanding school which the whole community can be proud of and rely upon.” The project was delivered in partnership with Farrans Construction and the Education Funding Agency, who contributed £7 million to the project. The construction company has created a time-lapse video which shows the school being built from start to finish. Councillor David Simmonds, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “We are delighted that Northwood School has been recognised by the LABC, and the school’s exceptional new facilities will provide young people in Hillingdon with a high quality education. We’ve invested more than £314 million into our school expansion programme, which is one of the largest programmes in London. Academic attainment for children and young people in Hillingdon is very positive, and we will continue to ensure that education is a top priority for the council.” The awards will be held on Friday 16 June at the Guildhall in London. You can view the time-lapse video of the Northwood School’s construction here:      

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