Expanding specialist education in Brent
Framework: SCAPE National Construction Framework
Client: London Borough of Brent Council
Location: North West London
Budget: £9.6m
Sector: Education
“It’s an exceptional achievement to have partnered with Brent Council to deliver these much-needed SEN facilities across three schools in the borough….As demand for specialist education places continues to grow, it’s key that local authorities are supported with high-quality, future-ready spaces that enable every child to thrive.”
Emma Curtis
Area Director, Morgan Sindall Construction in the Northern Home Counties
Creating an additional 48 specialist education places for Brent children, the £9.6m Brent ARP Provision programme delivered concurrent expansions at three schools.
Appointed by London Borough of Brent Council via the SCAPE National Construction Framework, Morgan Sindall Construction successfully delivered works at Newman Catholic College, Preston Park Primary School and St Margaret Clitherow RC Primary School.
The project enhanced facilities and created high-quality, inclusive learning environments for pupils with additional needs. Each school now benefits from an increased capacity for 16 SEN students.
At Newman Catholic College, works included the construction of a new two-storey building comprising two classrooms, a sensory room, a therapy room and a staff room. At Preston Park Primary School and St Margaret Clitherow RC Primary School, single-storey extensions were delivered, each providing two new classrooms, a sensory room, a therapy room and staff facilities.
All three schools have also benefited from newly landscaped outdoor areas, including soft landscaping, dedicated planting zones and covered external spaces designed to support outdoor learning and play.
As part of Morgan Sindall’s Intelligent Solutions approach, the tier one contractor used a Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) timber frame system for each project. The offsite-manufactured solution reduced reliance on traditional concrete, lowering embodied carbon while also speeding up programme delivery and minimising disruption to the live school environments.
Each new building features a carefully designed brick façade to complement the existing school architecture, ensuring the developments blend seamlessly into their surroundings.
Sustainability was a key priority throughout the project. Through decarbonisation, Morgan Sindall has saved 38.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent across the three schools, the equivalent of heating 14 UK homes for a year. To achieve this, the project team replaced the internal wall system from metal to timber across the three sites, removed the concrete paving slab at St Margaret Clitherow RC Primary School, swapping concrete for plastic for the manhole, and using a bigfoot system on the roof at Preston Park Primary School.
To calculate and analyse embodied carbon throughout design and construction, Morgan Sindall used the CarboniCa tool and undertook the 10 Tonne Carbon Challenge, encouraging the team to work with consultants and the supply chain to find solutions that reduce carbon from the construction process by a minimum of 10 tonnes.
Social value delivery
In line with Morgan Sindall’s commitment to creating opportunities for individuals in the communities in which it works, the team onboarded 15 direct local employees throughout the works, and the majority of the supply chain lived within 20 miles of the site.
Partnering with Tarem Services, a social enterprise dedicated to tackling in-work poverty and food insecurity, the project team supported the organisation's Mobile Foodbank initiative, providing essential food support to 168 residents through a community event at St Raphael's Family Wellbeing Centre. Employment opportunities were also created for local people, including recruiting Dawit, a long-term unemployed Brent resident, as a Site Labourer and supporting him to gain a CLOCS Traffic Marshall qualification.
The team inspired young people through a Waste Wise Kids assembly, teaching pupils about recycling and sustainability through interactive learning. A local pupil was also hosted on a work experience placement, providing hands-on insight into careers in construction and helping them take their first steps towards a future trade career. Supporting the next generation of industry professionals, the programme also provided 34 apprenticeship weeks across the three projects. The programme further championed inclusion and employability through sponsorship of a Black History Month careers event, helping local residents explore skills, training and employment opportunities.
“I grew up in Brent and went to a primary school just like St Margarets, so I know exactly how much these schools do for local families. Being able to come back as a local resident and help create better spaces and improved SEN provision for the next generation genuinely feels like giving back to the community that shaped me.”
Piar Kahai
Quantity Surveyor, Morgan Sindall
Social value outcomes
This project has been submitted by Morgan Sindall Construction as part of the collaborative Social Value in Construction Benchmarking Report. This report captures the latest insights into the regional and national trends in social value delivery; learn more here.
£3.6m
social value
35%
social value
44
volunteering hours
£74k
social enterprise spend
In collaboration with:
Meet the lead:
Ian Towlson
Senior Framework Manager | Construction
Project gallery
Dawit on site with Morgan Sindall
Members of the project team and Tarem Services
Work experience taking place on site
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