Hillbourne Primary School

  • Client

    BCP Council

  • Contractor

  • Value

    £8.54m

  • Completion Date

    June 2022

The Challenge

This would be the last school designed and delivered for the Borough of Poole before the councils merged to become the wider BCP Council. The client wanted a design which was slightly different to the traditional standard block form. Better education provision and a more sustainable building was required through the development of a new primary school.

The current school had to remain operational until the new school was ready to move into which was only 3m away from its new building as well as being in a very built-up residential area. This school was also delivered through the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit.

The Solution

Both the existing school and council were fully involved with the design looking for a school which “stood out”.  This was achieved with a local architect, Cube Design, bringing their extensive education experience to the table. The whole look of the building was designed to be more aesthetically pleasing.

The project team worked closely with the client, going out of their way to ensure the project fully met their needs, discussing with the school and architects to make things as perfect as they could be for the end users.

The project team managed resources, materials and logistics throughout adapting to Covid-19 SOP requirements. A segregated walkway was created to allow staff and pupils to safely move between their two buildings. All construction traffic had to be pre-booked through Kier’s Mi-site system.

The project was undertaken in two phases: the first phase seeing the construction of the primary school and the second stage saw the demolition of the existing schools creating the sports pitch. The hall and sports facilities will also be utilised by the local community not just the current pupils. The surplus land following demolition is being used for a new housing development creating 110 new homes.

The Results

By creating some variation with the building heights, the school now has two, two-storey blocks on either side and a one-storey library adjoining the two buildings to create a u-shape looking onto a central courtyard.  The modern buildings now include 14 classrooms, a practical teaching room and learning space centre, an administrative block, large multi-purpose hall with adjoining kitchen, a pre-school with dedicated play area, two multi-use games areas and a purpose-built (Sports England standard) sports pitch.  The light and airy building has a modern feel, providing the perfect environment to learn and now enables all staff and pupils to finally be under one roof.

The new school has multiple sustainable and efficient features including solar panels, mechanical ventilation, intelligent lighting, non-combustible envelope and external VO cladding.  High quality materials such as glazing and American white oak veneered doors have also been incorporated creating a warm and inviting place to learn and flourish in.

Despite being delivered during the Covid-19 pandemic and the early stages of Brexit, this project was delivered successfully on time and within budget.

7

Apprentices

82%

SME Spend

£4,461

Added Value

9/10

Client Satisfaction

Client Testimonials

“It’s fantastic to see the new school taking shape and on track to welcome the staff and pupils in October. I’m delighted that we have been able to develop a brand new fit-for purpose building for the Hillbourne community, that will benefit and support our young people to receive a high quality education and give them the best opportunities to grow and flourish.”

“To have all of our children and teachers in one school, is just amazing. Being in a school that was built for these children to learn in, rather than two buildings that over 70 years have been adapted to whatever provision needed to be made, just makes all the difference.” The new two-storey structure has created a fluid working environment that has already had a profound influence on how the pupils feel. Helen added: “It’s a massive difference from what it was before, absolutely massive. I think in terms of practical ways, it’s really good, but also in the way the children feel about themselves. They’ve walked into a really beautiful building and it makes them value themselves more, and then, in turn, value themselves more as learners.”

Contractor Performance | Commitments

Fair

Regular payments and have payment periods not exceeding 30 days

Sustainability

94% waste diverted from landfill

100% timber responsibly sourced

BREEAM Good

Safe

Zero RIDDORs
CCS Score 43/45 (Beyond Compliant)

Legacy

11 beneficiaries

7 jobs created

228 trainee weeks

Schools engagement: 3,540 students

£3,830 donations

41 volunteer hours

80% social value created which included food bank donations, a time capsule burial, Christmas card competitions, Easter egg fundraisers, and lamppost renovations.

Aftercare

Soft landings for handover

Dedicated Morgan Sindall point of contact

On-line portal for notifying any defects with 3 priority categories for response times

SCF Framework Manager

Kingsley Clarke

Email: kingsley.clarke@devon.gov.uk

Phone: 07805760622

Contractor Framework Manager

Alan Smedley

Email: alan.smedley@morgansindall.com

Phone: 07967 686066

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