Project
This 15 week project saw Woodhead carry out a number of refurbishment works to Chuter Ede Primary School during the schools term time, procured through the empa ii Minor Works Framework. The works comprised of alterations and refurbishments to various areas of the school, this included;
• Removal of materials containing asbestos
• Ceiling replacement
• Lighting installation
• Recovering of flat roof areas
• Replacement of roof lights
• Replacement of column casings
• Replacement of rainwater goods
• Alterations to fire alarm systems
• Decoration of I.T Room
The project was completed one week ahead of schedule, and delivered under budget. The procurement of the project through the Empa ii minor works framework enabled Woodhead to engage early on site and fast-tracked the process of meeting with the school to discuss all aspects of the delivery program, health and safety, and scope of works.
Challenge
The main challenge for this project was working on a live site that had 420 pupils in proximity of the works, and ensuring there was minimal disruption to teaching and the surrounding areas.
Solutions
It was imperative that Woodhead worked closely with the school staff throughout the project. Regular meetings were held between the site team and the school. Teamwork is one of Woodheads 5 core values, and it was this teamwork that enabled the project to be completed with minimal disruption. The following solutions were implemented:
• To counter any noise created during the works Woodhead created specific “working zones” to allow the school to continue teaching without excessive noise from the building works.
• Assessments were made throughout the project to ensure that the movement of any vehicles and deliveries on-site would not affect either public activities or the schools activities.
• Suitable segregation was agreed with the Head Teacher and maintained by Woodhead throughout the project to ensure that both the pupils and the public would not come into contact with any of the refurbishment works being carried out.
Extra Mile
Woodhead endeavor to make building a better experience for all, and working on a live school site allowed Woodhead to interact with pupils and ensure the children’s experience of construction was an entirely positive one.
Whilst on site the Woodhead project team regularly engaged with pupils and held two separate competitions to involve them with the project:
Mother’s day competition
Pupils were split into key stage 1 and key stage 2 groups and were tasked with creating a mother’s day card. Woodhead donated prizes of flowers and chocolates to award to the competition winner, and runners-up.
The winners were selected by the school teachers and the site managers, with the winners being announced in the assembly. Woodhead then presented the prizes to the children who in turn presented the prizes to their families.
Easter egg competition
During the Easter period, Woodhead held a colouring competition for key stage 1 and 2 groups. This encouraged the pupil’s creativity, with the winners being the class that designed the best Easter egg. Woodhead then donated an assortment of goodies to the winning class.
Key Accomplishments
• Completed one week ahead of schedule
• Finished £11k under budget
• Considerate Constructors Score of 35 out of 50
• 100% of all redundant ceiling tiles were recycled.
• 100% SME Engagement
• 100% of all local spend within 40 miles of site
• ZERO defects at handover
KPI Scores
Customer Satisfaction 10/10
Programme completion 10/10
Relationships 10/10
Communications 10/10
Workmanship 10/10
Project Partner feedback
“When you’re told as a school that work is going to take place in term time it’s always a little bit daunting, so it was about liaising very carefully with the site manager throughout. Woodheads have been friendly, and they’ve been able to work with children carrying out projects with the children. They’ve been very involved in what we are doing. They’ve even come to our assemblies, and the whole experience has been better than we had ever imagined.” -Robert Hattersley- Chuter Ede Head Teacher