Headteachers and parents have spoken of their delight at seeing 1,000 new places created at primary schools in Nottinghamshire, following a £6.5 million scheme delivered by contractor G F Tomlinson.
The ambitious programme of refurbishment and expansion at primary schools across Nottinghamshire has addressed the demand for more places to meet the needs of a growing pupil population.
The work has been completed by G F Tomlinson for its client Nottinghamshire County Council and has been delivered through empa – the East Midlands Property Alliance.
empa, which is managed by Scape, improves the procurement and delivery of construction projects and property maintenance for public sector bodies, saving time and money for them and in turn for council taxpayers.
The schools which have received new and refurbished classrooms are Newstead Primary, Edgewood Primary, Round Hill Primary, Bramcote Hills Primary, John Clifford Primary, Hawthorne Primary, Coppice Farm Primary, Forest Town Primary, Richard Bonnington and Kirkby Woodhouse Primary.
Improvement works have also been carried out at Pierrepont Gamston Primary School in Coledale, West Bridgford increasing pupil capacity by 50%.
The scheme involved a four classroom extension with a linked walkway to the existing building. Two further extensions were built to provide a bigger foundation unit and a Kids’ Club room for before and after school clubs and the hall was also extended.
“The extra space has made such a difference,” said parent Diane Watanabe, who has a nine-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter at the school. “The new school extension has been added to the existing school building seamlessly.”
“The bigger school hall is wonderful – it allows more space for lunch, PE and for parents to join assemblies.”
“As a parent I am glad the work was finished on time so that they can settle into their normal peaceful routine.”
Headteacher at the school Aiden Sharp said: “The building extension has been completed to an extremely high standard. We now have space to increase our capacity by 50%, from 210 to 315 places, giving us the chance to share a high standard of education and our Christian ethos with many children, now and in the future.
“In particular, the purpose built Early Years Foundation unit, with an outstanding outdoor provision, allows us to facilitate children’s learning through structured activities and play.”
“Across the school the learning environment has been enhanced, with three new classrooms built that include the latest IT specifications and our hall has been extended too.”
“We would like to thank the team at G F Tomlinson which has worked so closely with us on a daily basis to ensure that school life could continue as normal.”
Nottinghamshire County Council has praised the work delivered across the local authority’s primary schools.
Chris Higginson, Team Manager for Property Design at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “I am delighted that these challenging, but extremely rewarding projects are being delivered so successfully by Nottinghamshire County Council’s in-house Property Team, working jointly with empa partner G F Tomlinson.”
Andy Sewards, director at G F Tomlinson, added: “We are thrilled to hear such positive feedback about the work we have completed.”
