Client: Staffordshire County Council Location: Stafford Value: £6.5m
Design & Build
Construction of a new one form (plus) entry primary and nursery school, delivered on behalf of Staffordshire County Council, in partnership with Entrust and procured through the Constructing West Midlands Framework.
The 1,500 square metre, two-storey school comprises nine classrooms, a library, staff offices and an indoor sports and dining hall, with a fully fitted catering kitchen and featuring acoustic panelling.
Externally, the site comprises new pedestrian and vehicular ways, with landscaping works forming multiple outdoor play areas and an extensive playing field.
The school was designed using the Entrust ‘Touchstone’ model, which standardises design and specification to ensure build efficiencies, optimal learning environments and the capacity for future expansion. The energy efficient design ensures optimal daylight and natural ventilation alongside high levels of insulation – to contribute to the council’s commitment to Climate Change and the Net Zero Agenda.
Located within a new housing estate, with many homes still under construction, G F Tomlinson established regular liaison with the adjacent house builder. Site access and egress was safely co-ordinated, and delivery schedules shared to avoid potential congestion and disruption to residents.
Regular newsletters were issued to local residents, with details of project progress and planned activities, along with site management contact details for any queries to be directed to.
Works were planned to reduce risk of potential disruption for neighbours. For example, G F Tomlinson used retarding admixtures to slow down concrete setting time, allowing the pour to be undertaken at the start of the working day rather than at an inappropriate time.
G F Tomlinson provided guided site tours for the Creative Learning Partnership Trust staff and potential pupils, along with their parents/guardians. This encouraged a collaborative community approach to the new school and allowed them to raise any queries with the project team.
The scheme provided 82% of labour within a 40-mile radius of site and 20-apprentice weeks were provided for students studying Construction Management and Chartered Surveying.
100% of all site waste was recycled, with 3,000 cubic metres of tested and treated soil exported from another Staffordshire County Council and G F Tomlinson site to level the new sports pitch. This re-use of materials minimised waste and provided a client cost saving of £57,000.
Completed on time, ready for the new academic year, the school helps to meet local demand for additional primary school and nursery places in the Stafford area, providing 210 primary and 26 nursery places.
“An amazing building! We loved working with G F Tomlinson. Because we were engaged with so early in the process, we were able to have a lot of input into the building and move spaces around, which was great. We were always told that we were more than welcome to come to site when we wanted. The team were very helpful, and they facilitated everything we asked for.” – Laura Austen, Director of Operations – Creative Learning Partnership Trust
