Morgan Sindall celebrates steel signing at Abbeywood Community School in Bristol
Morgan Sindall Construction’s Cardiff and Bristol business has commemorated the final structural installation at Abbeywood Community School in Stoke Gifford, Bristol ahead of schedule, celebrating the milestone with a steel signing ceremony on 27 June.
To celebrate the event, representatives from South Gloucestershire Council were joined by the Olympus Academy Trust, school staff and pupils, as well as members of Morgan Sindall and the wider team of consultants. All guests gathered at the site to ceremonially sign the steel frame – a lasting gesture that marks a significant milestone, although one that will remain hidden from view once the building takes shape.
Procured via the SCAPE Construction framework, the £11.6 million project is being delivered in two phases, with the overall scheme set to increase the school’s capacity to 1,500 pupils. The first phase, which completed in March, included the refurbishment of the existing school kitchen, an extension to the dance studio, and the reconfiguration of changing rooms.
This latest steel signing milestone marks the progress of Phase 2, which comprises the construction of a new standalone building that will house 10 additional classrooms, an office, staff working room, toilets, accessible facilities, and a lift to support SEN pupils.
A temporary four-classroom teaching block has also been installed for the duration of the construction programme to support the school’s expansion and meet its growing popularity in the community.
Supporting South Gloucestershire Council’s sustainability commitments, the team is installing photovoltaic (PV) panels and air source heat pumps, helping the school reduce its carbon emissions and reliance on less energy-efficient fuels such as gas. The car park is also being expanded by ten spaces, several of which will include electric vehicle (EV) charging points.
Morgan Sindall has also implemented its 10 Tonne Challenge on the project, which encourages the team to work with consultants and the supply chain to find Intelligent Solutions that reduce carbon from the construction process by a minimum of 10 tonnes.
To date, the team has significantly exceeded the target, saving 125 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) by using electric arc furnace steel – the equivalent of heating 46 homes in the UK for a year. The savings were calculated using the in house CarboniCa carbon assessment tool, designed to monitor and control carbon output throughout the construction process.
In another sustainability-first initiative, Morgan Sindall is piloting one of the industry’s first zero-waste plasterboard programmes in partnership with British Gypsum. As part of the trial, all plasterboard will be pre-cut off-site, weighed, and monitored to minimise waste and improve efficiency.
As works are taking place on the live school site, the project team has closely collaborated with Abbeywood Community School to share access, ensuring Morgan Sindall causes minimal disruption to pupils’ education throughout construction. In recognition of its sympathetic delivery, the project was recently awarded a perfect 45/45 Considerate Construction score during its final visit.
In collaboration with NVB Architects, consultants and subcontractors, Morgan Sindall has utilised digital construction tool, Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), to improve accuracy in programming and planning. By using the tool in conjunction with the wider team, thorough design coordination and potential clash detection were ensured before construction began.
To connect with the local community throughout works, Morgan Sindall is currently meeting – and in many cases exceeding – all community targets with six months left of the programme. A recent example of this has seen the site team attend several careers events at Abbeywood Community School and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College (SGSC), speaking to students about the wide range of roles that exist in the construction industry and providing information about different entry routes and pathways.
Rob Williams, Area Director for Morgan Sindall in Wales, said:
We’re incredibly proud to mark this milestone at Abbeywood School, celebrating our progress on Phase 2 with a steel signing. It means a great deal to play a role in creating much-needed school spaces for South Gloucester’s community, as this project is a great opportunity to apply our expertise and help support the area's future generations. We’re excited to tick off more construction milestones as works continue in close collaboration with South Gloucestershire Council.”
South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for Schools, Cllr Ian Boulton, said:
This is a really important moment in the redevelopment of Abbeywood school. For this much-needed project to be ahead of schedule and to be building towards not just a better school for young people in and around Stoke Gifford, but also a better environment for their generation, is such great news.”
Mark Robinson, Group Chief Executive at SCAPE, said:
Procurement plays a crucial role in guiding clients and contractors toward a low-carbon future, whether through expert advisory support or early contractor engagement. Therefore, we are proud to be working with Morgan Sindall on this remarkable project, which incorporates a range of sustainable and low-carbon solutions. These efforts will not only help the council meet its sustainability commitments but also deliver long-term cost savings. We look forward to seeing teachers, pupils, and the wider community benefit from the enhanced facilities.”
ENDS