New school in Gateford on track for timely handover
Construction of the new Whipman Woods Flying High Academy in Gateford, Worksop is progressing well, with Morgan Sindall Construction scheduled to handover the building mid-August, in time for the new school year.
Designed and project managed by Arc Partnership - a joint venture between Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) and SCAPE - the project is being delivered by Morgan Sindall’s team in the Midlands.
Once complete, the school will provide the latest learning facilities and associated playing areas for up to 210 primary and 26 nursery students. Built using a traditional steel frame and brick, render and Kalzip vertical cladding, the school has also been designed to allow for future expansion, taking the total number of pupils up to 315 if required.
To mark the project’s progress, Cllr Sam Smith, Cabinet Member for Education and SEND at Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) was joined on a tour of the school by Cllrs Tracey Taylor, Cabinet Member for Children and Families, and Cllr Keith Girling, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Asset Management. All stakeholders then gathered to plant a ceremonial tree in the school grounds, which pupils will be able to admire for generations to come.
Councillor Sam Smith, Cabinet Member for Education and SEND, said:
This is a much-needed school for the Gateford area with the recent increase in housing numbers and is a clear example of mine and the County Council’s commitment to prioritising the delivery of new schools across the county where they’re needed most.
Over the last three years, we’ve invested tens of millions of pounds in our children’s education, with the expansion of existing and building of new schools across our county, and in recent weeks I’ve announced the Council’s plans for investing £40 million into our Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) provision with the aim of creating almost 500 new places before 2027.”
As part of Morgan Sindall’s Intelligent Solutions approach, the project has utilised Building Information Modelling (BIM) during the design and delivery stages, benefitting from coordinated and clash detected 3D models which also helped give greater programme certainty.
Its Intelligent Solutions approach has also been adopted around sustainability, with air source heat pumps, solar panels and efficient insulation all contributing towards the school being net zero in operation.
During its recent CCS visit, the project gained two ‘Best Practice’ innovation points. one of these were awarded for the use of Community Insights, an online tool that helps identify and analysis local community needs.
This saw the site team work with Social Enterprise, Volunteer it Yourself (VIY), to help with the renovation a local youth centre. Through our support, more than 30 local young people completed a three-week work placement at the Carlton Youth Centre, with on-site professional tradespeople providing valuable mentoring and training.
Sara Williams, Head of Pre-Construction at Arc Partnership, said:
It is fantastic to see the progress that has been made at Whipman Woods Flying High Academy already.
Arc Partnership is focussed on delivering real-value, and through our close-working relationship with Nottinghamshire County Council and Morgan Sindall, we remain on track to deliver a high-quality, sustainable school that will benefit the local community of Gateford for many years to come.
Richard Fielding, Area Director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said:
The local community in Worksop is due to see a significant demand for school places as a result of the new housing developments in the area.
We are pleased to support this need for increased education infrastructure in the development of Gateford Park Primary School, through our continued relationship with Nottinghamshire County Council and Arc Partnership. This collaboration has seen us jointly deliver a number of new and improved school facilities in the county in the past year, such as Rushcliffe Spencer Academy, Millside Spencer Academy, and Bingham Primary School.”
Deputy CEO of The Flying High Partnership, Paul Goodman, added:
We are delighted with the progress and care being taken with the design and build of this brand-new school. Having worked closely with the Nottinghamshire County Council and the developers we have no doubt that this will be a school that meets the needs of all children and provide an environment where all children can learn and grow.
Flying High Partnership is passionate about providing children with the best that education has to offer. We are very excited to welcome the first cohort of children in September 2024, and to create a school the whole community can be proud of.”
ENDS