Morgan Sindall Construction marked a significant milestone on 24th March at Chuter Ede Primary School's Fernwood site, with a topping out ceremony at the £9.4million single-storey extension project.
The site will deliver an additional 210 primary school places, doubling the school's capacity while supporting growth in the Newark area.
Designed, project and cost-managed by Arc Partnership - a joint venture between Nottinghamshire County Council and SCAPE - the expansion will provide eight new classrooms, a library and music room, an activity hall, a medical room, a football pitch and new outdoor equipment, which is all set for completion in September this year.
To mark the occasion, key stakeholders gathered on site, including Cllr Mick Barton, Nottinghamshire County Council Leader and Councillor Rory Green, Councillor Simon Wright and Councillor James Walker-Gurley, alongside representatives from Arc Partnership, as well as teachers and students from the school. Guests were given a tour of the works before joining pupils in signing a large piece of plasterboard, which has since been installed within the building.
The project has also placed a strong emphasis on creating meaningful social value for the local community. Students at Nottingham Trent University are developing skills in architecture, technology, project management and quantity surveying through partnerships with Arc Partnership and Morgan Sindall, including site visits and project-focused lectures. So far, the Morgan Sindall team has invested over 50 hours on school engagement activities, and provided 10 weeks of meaningful work placements. More than 200 students have visited the site to date as part of an aim to give students from a range of disciplines real-world experience of the projects they could be working on in the future.
The Morgan Sindall team has also raised £5,508 in charitable donations for the local community, with employees volunteering 26 hours of charitable time at events such as Newark Food Bank donations. To date, the project has generated £912k in social value, equating to a 12% return on social investment.
Chuter Ede Fernwood, an annex of Chuter Ede Primary School at Balderton, was originally built in 2012 by Morgan Sindall Construction to serve the growing number of children from the new Fernwood estate and is being developed in three phases. The first two phases, which delivered a sports field, outdoor play area, car parking and landscaping in addition to the original school building, have already been completed.
Richard Fielding, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Midlands, added: "Reaching this milestone is a proud moment for our team and a real marker of the momentum we've built together since we originally delivered the building in 2012. This expansion will make a meaningful difference to the Fernwood community, giving local children the modern, high-quality learning environment they deserve. We've placed a real emphasis on delivering social value throughout this project with some really great results now coming to fruition, and I'm looking forward to seeing the full impact of that work take shape as we approach completion this year.
"Alongside Arc Partnership and Nottinghamshire County Council, we've worked hard to keep disruption to the school to an absolute minimum and we're on course to deliver a fantastic result ready for September's new intake."
Cllr Barton said: "This is a fantastic school, and I've been really impressed with the improvements made so far.
"This work will double the amount of school places and will be a real boost for this community."
Cllr Walker-Gurley added: “Improving facilities is essential as young people deserve to learn in well-equipped and modern buildings to help their education.”
Headteacher Mrs Bernadette Hunter said: "It’s great to be at the stage where the new extension has a roof. We have been pleasantly surprised with how smooth things have been so far with this work. We have a great relationship with the on-site team from Morgan Sindall.
"There continues to be a real buzz and a sense of excitement among staff and pupils about this expansion work."
Dan Maher, Managing Director at Arc Partnership, said: “It's fantastic to see the progress being made on this important school expansion. When complete, it will not only support the growing demand for school places within the local community, but Arc Partnership’s design has ensured that hundreds of students will benefit from modern, high-quality learning facilities for years to come. This is a project we are proud to be delivering on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council.”
