The contract to complete a £5 million school project in Derby has been handed over to Morgan Sindall, who will deliver a new primary school and nursery on Radbourne Lane. Hackwood Primary will house six classrooms and a 26-place nursery, adding more than 200 new school places to the area.
With the new school year now underway, Richard Werth, CEO of Troy Homes has taken a look at the impact that ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rated schools have on house prices. According to data from the Land Registry, Department of Education and Ofsted, the connection between family sized homes and proximity to
The London Borough of Hounslow has seen a surge in demand for special educational needs and disability (SEND) school places for children, which led to the construction of a new flagship teaching facility. The site of the existing Marjory Kinnon School has been transformed into a 9,500 sqm state-of-the-art building
Morgan Sindall has completed the £1.8 million redevelopment work for the City of Birmingham School Kings Centre pupil referral unit. The work included the renovation of the internal areas, fitting out the food technology and design technology rooms and reconfiguration of the existing floor layout to form a gym area.
A new flooring finish was required for a school atrium which hundreds of children use or pass through each day. Because the atrium floods this area of the school with so much light through a Perspex roof, it meant that whatever was chosen had to be UV stable, hard wearing
The contract to complete a £5 million school project in Derby has been handed over to Morgan Sindall, who will deliver a new primary school and nursery on Radbourne Lane. Hackwood Primary will house six classrooms and a 26-place nursery, adding more than 200 new school places to the area. The school will also be a Sunesis Mosaic model. The school project is being delivered through the Scape Venture framework, with funding from Redrow Homes East Midlands and Miller Homes as part of their plan to build more than 700 new homes on the neighbouring Hackwood Farm estate. “Innovative framework procurement options offer long-term social value for councils and the communities they serve. We are pleased to be delivering the new, first class education facilities at Hackwood Primary School as part of Scape’s Venture framework,” said Rob Cant, framework director at Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure in the Midlands. The project management and quantity surveying services of the school project are being provided by independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy, Pick Everard, which is currently being fabricated off-site in Hull. “Hackwood Primary School is a perfect example of how the private and public sector can work together through the Scape Venture framework to deliver a new community facility in the most efficient way. It’s an innovative and exciting collaboration with Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure, Lungfish and Sunesis working together utilising our Mosaic offsite product to ensure the school is delivered quickly with minimal impact on the environment,” added Mike Salter, Group Development Director at Scape Venture. The project is expected to be complete in time for the new academic year in September 2019.
With the new school year now underway, Richard Werth, CEO of Troy Homes has taken a look at the impact that ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rated schools have on house prices. According to data from the Land Registry, Department of Education and Ofsted, the connection between family sized homes and proximity to a school with an ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating (state or private; primary or secondary) can be as much as 28% and, even at the extremities of the schools’ catchment areas, it can remain around 20%. Given that some schools’ catchment areas can span 20 miles in each direction from the school’s gates, an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rating can affect a huge swathe of property. Whilst living within a school’s catchment area does not guarantee a place, it certainly helps. For example, living within the catchment area of a Grammar School is often essential to securing a place. The premium for homes within 5 miles of popular private schools is often much higher than 28% – particularly in University cities where demand outstrips supply. So, as there is usually no formal catchment area, there is a temptation to live further away from the school. But, it is worth bearing in mind that if you live 10-15 miles west of the school, then your child’s best friend could easily live the same distance to the east of the school, making sleepovers and parties very complicated! Choosing the right schools is highly individual and can change as your children develop. It can be a complex and daunting process but, in the end, it very often comes down to ‘gut feel’ – you just know when you have connected with staff, students and atmosphere and if it just feels right. Buying to be in a catchment area is one thing, but the family home still has to meet the demands of all the family’s lives. Affordability, design, layout, size, commute, local facilities are just a few of the criteria that should be considered; after all, life outside school is just as important. But, for everyone’s benefit, the shorter the school run, the better.
The London Borough of Hounslow has seen a surge in demand for special educational needs and disability (SEND) school places for children, which led to the construction of a new flagship teaching facility. The site of the existing Marjory Kinnon School has been transformed into a 9,500 sqm state-of-the-art building offering spaces for 288 pupils – creating one of the largest all-through schools of its type in the country. Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who holds 11 Paralympic gold medals for wheelchair racing, officially opened the £25 million school, in Feltham. “We’re proud to have been involved in a major programme, which will completely transform children in Hounslow’s access to high-quality and tailored SEND education,” said David Nisbet, partner at independent property, construction and infrastructure consultancy Pick Everard, which provided full design architectural and engineering services for the project. “Through collaboration with the contractor, Farrans, during construction, we were able to complete the Marjory Kinnon School – one of the country’s largest SEND schools – ahead of programme and under budget. The team worked collaboratively with the school to understand the complex teaching requirements to deliver a successful project,” he added. The school now offers a rich provision of inclusive and accessible environments for pupils aged four to 16 years to learn and play as they progress through school towards independent adult life in the community. Young people with special educational needs and disabilities have the chance to flourish and grow as individuals and adults in a positive schooling environment, with a personalised and diverse curriculum, while ensuring they have the best possible access to appropriate academic and vocational opportunities. Externally, the building uses a soft palette of materials – including subtle shades of brick and timber-effect panelling – to create an inviting and safe backdrop for the school. Internally, classrooms have been designed to be adaptable based on the environmental needs of different students, from the need to control visual stimulation through colour and shape, to the requirement for overhead hoists and adjustable height furniture for pupils with physical mobility aids. Primary and secondary wings were also constructed within the school to separate pupils by age into manageable groups.
Morgan Sindall has completed the £1.8 million redevelopment work for the City of Birmingham School Kings Centre pupil referral unit. The work included the renovation of the internal areas, fitting out the food technology and design technology rooms and reconfiguration of the existing floor layout to form a gym area. The tiled roof was also renovated and extensive masonry works repairs were carried out on the existing facade. Delivered on behalf of Birmingham City Council, the project was part of the Constructing West Midlands (CWM) framework and was managed in collaboration with the council’s design and contract delivery partner Acivico. “We’re committed to ensuring that all of our construction projects deliver wide-reaching social value to the communities in which we work, and have routed more than half a billion pounds through local suppliers during our time on the CWM framework,” said Richard Fielding, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure. “Throughout this refurbishment, the site team has organised several local initiatives, including the donation of a blood pressure monitor to Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, and a charity football day at St Andrew’s Stadium which the pupils loved. Everyone involved with the project can be rightly proud of the legacy they’ve left; both in terms of the finished building, and the meaningful community engagement throughout,” Richard added. The renovated school unit was officially opened by rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio. “Today marks two important milestones for our school: the launch of the partnership with Rugby Works, and the official opening of the newly-refurbished ‘wing’ of one of our Centres. This is a strategic step towards providing pupils with outstanding facilities and the widest curriculum offer available. Thanks to Birmingham City Council and Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure for their work on the project,” concluded Steve Howell, headteacher at City of Birmingham School.
A new flooring finish was required for a school atrium which hundreds of children use or pass through each day. Because the atrium floods this area of the school with so much light through a Perspex roof, it meant that whatever was chosen had to be UV stable, hard wearing and safe. With hundreds of children crossing the floor each day in the Radclyffe School in Oldham, Greater Manchester, priorities were for an improved decorative finish which was safe, suitable for steps and compatible with existing large expansion joints as there had been a lot of movement in this building. The system also had to be economic, hard-wearing, easily cleaned, have low odour during application and chemical resistance, slip resistance and non-dusting. Sherwin-Williams’ technical flooring experts looked at their diverse range of options for this specific application covering 800 sq metres. The floor finish chosen was a multi-coat resin system incorporating decorative multi-coloured Resuflake, with clear seal coats ensuring strong UV stability because of the amount of natural light coming into the area. This complements adjacent flagstone areas in the school atrium, and provides a continuous flooring system which is safe, easily cleaned and hard-wearing for the long-term. Because the system was applied to a concrete substrate, it also became a part of the building rather than an add-on and meets all original requirements. Contact Sherwin-Williams, tel +44 (0)1204 556420, email sales.uk@sherwin.com or see https://protectiveemea.sherwin-williams.com/
