An innovative modular classroom project to help increase pupil numbers at a Nottinghamshire school has seen a state-of-the-art building installed by construction company, Robert Woodhead Ltd.
The project at Brinsley Primary School has seen the modular classroom project completed in two phases over four months; at times battling the elements with wintry conditions and a high water table on the school fields, making access tricky. The improvements are part of a £4.5m Nottinghamshire County Council-led programme to replace mobile classrooms and prepare schools across the county for an increase in demand for school places. Using funding from the Government’s Basic Needs Fund, this scheme provides extra room for pupils at Brinsley Primary School, which is already oversubscribed.
The school and the team from Robert Woodhead Ltd have all worked collaboratively to make sure the project is completed and ready for the children to take up residence.
Headteacher, Emma Haywood, said: “It has been wonderful working with Tony Kent, Ashley Hibberd and the Woodhead Team. The pupils, parents, staff and local residents have felt included in the project and Tony became part of our school community for the duration of the project.
“The children especially loved walking around and learning about life on a building site, we hopefully have inspired some children to join this workforce in the future. The finished classroom looks amazing and the Woodhead team has gone above and beyond at times to make this a positive experience.”
A state of the art facility, the building was constructed using a modular build method, meaning the wall panels were created off-site and fitted together once they arrived. Highly efficient and built to respond to its surroundings, the building is all automated, with sky lights designed to open when there’s too much carbon dioxide in the room. Work has also included the creation of a ‘grasscrete’ car park to allow more car parking spaces.
Ashley Hibberd, Woodhead’s Project Manager on the scheme, said: “It’s been great working with Brinsley Primary School. Our site manager, Tony Kent, has become a bit of a popular fixture with the school and pupils, both through his engagement with the management team and the pupils themselves. We’ve done a number of ‘walk arounds’ with groups of pupils, teaching them about the work we’re doing, and the importance of keeping safe near a construction site.
“There could be some future construction workers at Brinsley, and with such a skills gap to fill in our industry over the coming years, it’s always worth sparking their interest early. The school has been a fantastic client and they’ve all been great hosts while our team’s been on site, and we’d like to thank them for their support and patience during works.”
While on site the Woodhead team also completed a number of smaller jobs the school needed doing, free of charge, to help improve the quality of the building for staff and pupils
The project was designed and managed by Arc Partnership and procured via the empa framework. The framework is managed by Scape Group, a public-sector organisation dedicated to creating ongoing efficiency and social value via the built environment.