The Priory Academy LSST Arts and Drama Block
Sector: Education
Client: The Priory Federation of Academies
Framework: SCAPE Construction
Project value: £4.9m
"The expertise and professionalism of Lindum has been evident throughout the project. We now have additional, enhanced student facilities and a modern, practical workplace – all ahead of schedule."
Andrew Graves
Capital Projects Manager, The Priory Federation of Academies Trust
The Priory Academy LSST in Lincoln is now benefitting from refurbished, modern and spacious facilities for students and staff.
Delivered by Lindum Group via the SCAPE Construction framework, the transformed site and enhanced educational and workplace environments were completed ahead of schedule and within budget.
Completed in two phases, the project included transforming former library and classroom spaces into a central hub for the Trust’s central support teams and services, plus the creation of a new Arts and Drama Block.
Alongside delivery, the Lindum project team contributed to significant social value outcomes, creating 44% social value add, directly benefiting the local community.
The Priory Federation of Academies Trust sought to centralise administrative functions across 13 sites into a single hub. This required significant refurbishment of the Priory Academy LSST site.
As the identified hub previously housed arts and drama facilities, a phased sequence of works was needed. This included converting an administration block into classrooms, transforming a classroom block into a new library, and demolishing the existing sports hall and music room to create a new dedicated arts and drama building.
The original arts and drama area was then repurposed to house the school's central office teams including HR, IT, Finance, Estates, Careers, teacher training, and apprenticeships. Additional upgrades included new office spaces, meeting rooms, staff facilities, and a reception area. Enhancements across the site also supported evolving post-16 education, including BTECs and T-Levels.
All work was carefully phased to avoid disruption to teaching and to ensure long-term functionality for students and staff.
Alongside the logistics required for the successful delivery on a live school site, the project team encountered several challenges throughout this project.
A key consideration was maintaining normal school operations during major construction, which required careful coordination to ensure safety, minimise disruption, and meet academic deadlines. Repurposing areas such as the former library and exam suites demanded meticulous planning to meet modern standards and educational needs. Additionally, integrating a variety of administrative departments - each with specific needs - into one cohesive workspace demanded detailed logistical coordination.
In the arts and drama block, a ground survey revealed unexpected land contamination, making piling unfeasible. This issue was resolved by redesigning the foundation to a shallower raft system, resulting in both time and cost savings.
Despite these obstacles, strong collaboration between Lindum Group and the Trust, combined with expert project management and proactive communication, ensured smooth progress. These efforts enabled early project completion and a seamless handover, demonstrating the success of the project under demanding circumstances.
The completed works at The Priory Academy LSST successfully met its objectives. Delivered on time and within budget, the project has transformed the school’s infrastructure to better serve both staff and students.
A key outcome is the creation of a centralised support hub, which unites essential Trust departments in a modern, collaborative workspace, vastly improving operational efficiency. Purpose-built offices, meeting rooms, and a professional reception area enhance the working environment for staff and the experience for visitors.
Students now benefit from upgraded exam facilities and a relocated, more spacious library that supports learning and accessibility. The new arts and drama block promotes creativity and engagement in the arts. Additionally, former office spaces have been repurposed into technical and study rooms for post-16 education, supporting national priorities around T-Level and BTEC qualifications.
Overall, the project addresses key community and educational needs, with long-lasting benefits across the Academy.
Sustainable and social value outcomes
The project demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainability and social value, with a 44% social value add and several standout achievements.
- Over 12,000 miles of travel was saved through car-sharing, equating to 3.37 tonnes of CO₂ - similar to a round-trip flight from the UK to the USA.
- The project team donated 68 hours towards careers support, including hosting work experience opportunities for 8 students, 3 Career days and a Careers in Construction event for 16 students at Lindum Business Park, showcasing the wide range of careers available in construction including trade routes, architectural design and quantity surveying. Students had the chance to participate in hands-on tasks from project estimating to creating programme of works, showcasing the technical roles.
- Lindum directly donated £8,000 towards the external landscaping works.
- 74% of labour lived within 20miles of site.
- 62% of subcontractor spend was within 20 miles of site.
- 95 apprentice weeks were provided.
- Hosting a sustainability workshop to explore options for achieving Net Zero Carbon in operation for the new Arts and Drama block. After evaluating three solar PV solutions, the installation of 96 panels was selected as the most cost-effective option. This contributed to achieving an EPC A+ rating and significantly reducing operational carbon output. The PV system is MCS-certified and expected to produce 36.13 MWh annually, saving approximately 6.99 tonnes of CO₂ - equivalent to planting 321 trees.
- 100% of construction waste was diverted from landfill, underlining the project's robust environmental performance.
Why SCAPE?
What has using the SCAPE framework brought to the project?
The Priory Academy project is a testament to the benefits procuring work through the SCAPE Construction framework can bring.
The Trust particularly valued how the framework allowed them to benefit from early contractor engagement and close collaboration with designers and construction experts from the outset.
This early involvement, supported by the framework’s established procedures, allowed Lindum to progress quickly to the construction phase. Accelerated pre-construction activities ensured the project was ready in time for the new academic year.
Working collaboratively meant that Lindum could provide valuable input on the design of the new Arts and Drama block to deliver the best outcomes for both the Trust and the community, while ensuring the new block was future ready. This ‘right first time’ approach ensured the design was efficient and forward-thinking. It features seven classrooms, some with internal partitions that can be fully opened, allowing the school to easily double the room size if required.
Early-stage discussions also helped Lindum to support the broader client priorities. In this case, the Arts and Drama building will benefit from lower operational carbon output, thanks to the integration of PV panels in the roof design.
“The SCAPE framework guarantees a streamlined and value-for-money process for every development. We know from experience that a partnership with Lindum will ensure a delivery which is on time and of the highest quality – these completed works are yet another demonstration of that service."
Andrew Graves
Capital Projects Manager, The Priory Federation of Academies Trust
Social value outcomes
This project has been submitted by Lindum Group as part of the collaborative Social Value in Construction Benchmarking Report. This report captures the latest insight into the regional and national trends in social value delivery, learn more here.
44%
Social value added
100%
Fair payment
74%
Local labour within 20 miles
62%
Subcontractor spend within 20 miles
£8,000 donation
Towards landscaping works
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Social Value in Construction
Benchmarking Report
SCAPE's annual report in collaboration with Social Value Portal that captures the latest insight into the regional and national trends in social value delivery.