Category: Education
Three schools across Derbyshire have seen improvements to facilities through building work now completed.
Working alongside Derbyshire County Council and consultants Concertus, all three projects in the East Midlands were procured through the NHS Shared Business Services Framework across Buxton and Alfreton, with a total value of £3.2 million.
At Harpur Hill Primary School in Buxton, Stepnell’s East Midlands team delivered new KS2 accommodation, a dance studio and two individual classrooms, linked by a central lobby. The finished works also include a group room, unisex and accessible toilets, a cleaner’s store, plant room and storage room. Externally, a covered canopy linking to the staff car park was also delivered. The school hosted a celebration to mark the launch of the brand-new dance studio, welcoming Kristian Cunningham, performer, choreographer and producer, to officially open the space – with the event featuring music and dance performance from pupils.
Work has also concluded at Swanwick Primary School in Alfreton, with the project consisting of an infill extension to create two adaptable group rooms, new fire doors, and alterations to the school layout. External M&E works have enabled the implementation of new steps, balustrades, a ramp, landscaping and external lighting.
At Tibshelf Community School, also in Alfreton, Stepnell’s team has finished work to create a four-classroom block dedicated to the education of students with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND). Aiming to foster an increasingly inclusive environment through the works, the construction of the new spacious and conducive teaching spaces is set to accommodate up to 30 students.
Tom Sewell, regional director at Stepnell, said:
“These three projects collectively showcase the value of a complete construction partner in supporting an evolving education sector in the East Midlands, with a focus on quality and effectiveness being standout elements throughout.
“Working closely alongside Derbyshire County Council and Concertus, these council-led construction schemes have been developed with the core aim of supporting local authorities across the UK with enhanced learning environments, spurring growth in local communities and supporting all children to aim high and achieve.”
Jack Bradley, Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for SEND and education councillor, said:
“We’re committed to investing in creating the school places children and young people need and where they need them across Derbyshire.
“These development projects show our ambition to help create positive futures for every child in Derbyshire and to ensure they feel and are included in the right setting for them, whatever their ability or challenge, including children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
“We’re ambitious for all children to achieve their full educational potentials and we believe the right high-quality classroom and learning environment combined with high- quality teaching will help them do just that.”
Glen Bickers, Associate for Architecture at Concertus, said:
“We are very proud to have worked alongside Derbyshire County Council in delivering each scheme for the benefit of the local communities. A great deal of effort has been devoted to realising each project to meet the individual educational needs of the schools whilst achieving a sustainable, energy-efficient designs.
“We hope that each project will have a positive contribution to the schools’ facilities and continue to do so for many years to come”.
