GF Tomlinson Bemrose Primary 1002 edited

The Bemrose School Primary Extension

Project value: £1m

Sector: Education

Client satisfaction: 9/10

Local labour within 20 miles: 92%

Local spend within 20 miles: 85%

Total social value generated: £607,142

School / College workshops: 979 students

Apprentices: 4

Thank you for the excellent delivery of a 4 classroom extension in a live environment at The Bemrose School. The project was set on a very tight timescale and logistically not the easiest to undertake but with the careful planning and professional approach the project was delivered on time, budget and to a very high standard."

David Highfield

Programme Manager | Derby City Council

The primary extension to The Bemrose School, completed in 2017, marks the start of the school’s £4 million extension programme to increase whole school capacity by 67% to 1,500 pupil places.

In 2017, Derby City Council procured G F Tomlinson via the empa framework (superseded by SCAPE's Regional Construction framework) to develop the extension to the existing primary phase in response to the increased local demand for primary school places.

The extension was designed by Lungfish Architects who developed a cohesive design that seamlessly linked the existing building with the new extension.

The existing relationships between G F Tomlinson, Derby City Council, the school and the design consultants ensured full understanding of all stakeholder expectations, early establishment of a clear project brief and development of our efficient design and construction solution.

The extension takes the school’s primary phase from 1.5FE to 2FE, increasing new school admissions by 15 pupil places each year

The extension was built to provide much-needed pupil places at this inner city school and is part of the school’s ultimate objective to increase capacity by 600 additional pupil placements.

The new build extension provides four spacious new classrooms, with two of the classrooms separated by moveable partition walls to meet the school’s requirement for flexibility to create a large space for multiple group teaching and exams.

The extension was constructed on the school’s existing playground with restricted access to site. Early engagement with the school and design team to develop solutions to build the replacement playground prior to commencing work on the new build extension, provided an outdoor space for pupils from the start of the project and ensured improved access to the site.

The school remained fully operational for the duration of the project and is located in a large residential area. Measures were put in place to minimise the impact and disruption to the school and local residents, including regular communication and exchange of information to carefully plan the works. A series of engagement activities with staff and pupils ensured they were informed about the works and project progress, providing familiarisation ahead of occupying the classrooms.

Early contractor involvement and engagement of the design team who had designed the existing building optimised the overall programme from inception to completion, resulting in an accelerated pre-construction period and reduced project costs.

The new extension provides light and welcoming learning environment and flows effortlessly into the original building. It features wide corridors, which are used as learning streets providing space for groups to break-out or use them for science, IT, technology and cookery.

The project was delivered on time and within the specified budget with the following Social Value focussed outcomes:

85% of total spend was used within 20 miles

92% of on-site labour lived within 20 miles

Total Social Value generated = £607,000

G F Tomlinson continue to provide Social Value through the Adopt a School initiative, maximising all opportunities to support the school through ongoing careers education support, work experience placements and pupil engagement on the site. Pupil engagement included a series of construction-themed activities including Health and Safety Assemblies, site poster competitions, work experience placements, site tours and mock interviews for over 150 students.

The team were working to a tight deadline on a high specification building, and have delivered on all fronts. Please pass on my thanks and gratitude for their hard work and support in our school’s growth."

Neil Wilkinson

Headteacher | The Bemrose School

92%

Local labour within 20 miles

85%

Local spend within 20 miles

9/10

Client satisfaction