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County Councils biggest construction project to date

Pictured cutting the first turf at the new Haverfordwest High VC School site is Cllr Guy Woodham, Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning.

Construction has officially begun on Pembrokeshire County Council’s biggest construction project to date.

A ‘Turf-Cutting’ ceremony was held on November 26, at the construction site for the new Haverfordwest High VC School in Prendergast.

Held to mark the formal start of construction works, the traditional ceremony is thought to bring luck to the £48.7m project, which is being funded jointly by Pembrokeshire County Council and the Welsh Government as part of the 21st Century Schools & Colleges Programme.

The new school building, on the former Sir Thomas Picton School site, is due for completion in the summer of 2022.

The new-build will accommodate 1500 pupils aged 11-16 and 250 sixth form pupils.

Clr. Guy Woodham, Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, said: “Today is a landmark in the development of Haverfordwest High VC School.

“It is a timely reminder that through the 21st Century Schools & Colleges Programme with Welsh Government we are investing in the future of our learners and our community.

“All our learners deserve the best provision we can provide with the £48.7m investment. I am grateful that we have been able to keep this significant project on track during the pandemic. We look forward to welcoming learners on to the new school site in September 2022.”

 

 

New sports facilities at the school will include an eight-court sports hall, a full-size floodlit 3G pitch, and two multi-use games areas. All will be available for community use outside school hours.

The existing athletics track, all-weather pitch and grass pitches will be retained.

Most traffic, including school buses, will enter the site via a new access road currently being built off the A40, which will lead directly to a coach parking zone and a new car park for staff and visitors.

Rob Williams, Area Director for contractors Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “We are delighted to have begun work on the main building for the new Haverfordwest High VC School, an ambitious project which will deliver a modern learning campus and exceptional sports facilities to the local community.

“Despite disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, we have worked hard to bring the project to site safely and the completion date remains the same; ensuring that demand for school-places within the area can be met without delay.

“We are grateful to Pembrokeshire County Council and all of our project partners for helping us to reach this exciting milestone, and look forward to seeing the finished building.”

Haverfordwest High VC School Chair of Governors, Paul Lucas, added: “From the plans provided, this promises to be an imposing example of educational building excellence which accords with up to date environmental and planning requirements.

“It is now up to the Governors, Head Teacher and staff to turn these facilities and opportunities into a first class educational learning area of distinction.

“Our thanks go to Morgan Sindall and their partners for the tremendous thought put into the project so far, and we must not forget the other interested parties – the Head, staff and of course the school council of pupils who have all put long hours into shaping our educational future in Haverfordwest.

“Thanks also go to Pembrokeshire County Council and the Education Department – as the project client – for listening to us and providing for our needs so that we can show what we really can do in this school of the future.

“We simply cannot wait to move in and are delighted that despite the poor hand of cards 2020 has dealt us, the project remains on track. Well done to all.”

 

Source: Tenby Observer

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Thorn luminaires help revolutionise facilities at a Samuel Ward Academy in Suffolk

Working on a brief to deliver a first-class facility for the pupils and teachers, Thorn Lighting has supplied both internal and external illumination for the £10 million education block that has revolutionised facilities at a Samuel Ward Academy in Suffolk. The luminaires were chosen to enhance the overall appearance of the state-of-the-art facility and create flexible and adaptable 21st Century learning environment for pupils, whilst providing a low maintenance, energy efficient solution.

The three-storey building replaced the school’s single-storey blocks A and B, which sat at the front of the building and, in addition to classrooms, the block houses the library, the SEN (special educational needs) resource base, specialist music and art rooms and media suites. Funding for the work came from the Government’s Priority School Build Programme with the building providing high standards in terms of natural daylighting, acoustic performance and the internal environment.

 

Thorn’s Arena LED luminaires illuminate the classrooms throughout the building. Their excellent light quality and sound absorbing features minimise the sound reverberation in the classrooms. Modern concrete walls, hard flooring and large amounts of glass all reflect (rather than absorb) sound. The echo effect created in this way can make it difficult to hear the teacher speak, causing students to raise the noise level even further by chatting amongst themselves. The innovative Arena LED minimises this.

Arena is a direct/indirect luminaire that gives the Academy a modern visual appearance. The fitting is available with a wide range of control options and has been designed for flexibility, offering a choice of infills to adapt the length of the system to match all classroom layouts, Arena is fully compliant with BB93 for optimum classroom performance, utilising high-efficiency LEDs to slash energy consumption.

Thorn’s Piazza robust IP65, wall mounted luminaires have been used for the illumination of the exterior of the building. Piazza has unique photometrics with 3 metre forward light throw and 12 metre spacing that also provides a very low upward light throw with less than 2.5% ULOR. Piazza delivers excellent 116 lm/W efficiency with simple installation.

For more information on Thorn and its products, see the website www.thornlighting.co.uk

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SUPERSTAR ROOFERS

Lache Primary School is full of praise for Craig Brown, Adam Brown and David Stevenson, of Brown & Sons Roofing Specialist.

 

A CHESTER primary school is full of praise for three contractors who carried out much-needed repairs on the school building – for free.

Everyone at Lache Primary School wishes to say a big thank you to Craig Brown, Adam Brown and David Stevenson, of Brown & Sons Roofing Specialist.

Headteacher Kate Seager said: “These superstars have kindly fixed our entire Junior Hall roof for free.

“Our school is over 80 years old and while it is a lovely building, its age means that it needs lots of maintenance.

“This has saved us a huge amount of money at a time when schools are struggling financially.

“Craig and the gang were so accommodating, working around school hours and when the children were in. Typically, the weather wasn’t great but that didn’t stop them.

“It is great that at such a difficult and challenging time, goodwill is still out there. What a fantastic community Lache is!

“We are incredibly grateful to these guys for giving up their own time and opportunity to earn money to support our school.

“Both Craig and Adam are parents of children who attend Lache and David is an ex-pupil. Their kindness and generosity is truly overwhelming.

“They will definitely be on Father Christmas’ good list!”

 

Source: The Standard

 

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MPs URGED TO REVIEW SPRINKLER LAW FOR SCHOOLS

CALLS have been made for sprinklers to be compulsory in all new or refurbished schools.

Swindon-based insurers Zurich Municipal have urged MPs to review the law – while people are asked to help get the issue debated in parliament.

Figures obtained by the company showed firefighters from Dorset and Wiltshire were called to 66 fires at schools across the two counties. They included 16 suspected arson attacks, such as the blaze that destroyed part of Ivy Lane Primary School, Chippenham, in 2019. Sprinkler systems were fitted in just three out of 66 incidents.

It is not currently mandatory for sprinklers to be fitted in new school buildings or as part of major refurbishment projects.

Tilden Watson, Zurich Municipal’s head of education, said: “An alarming number of school buildings pose a high fire risk – yet many are poorly protected against a potential blaze. Unless ministers bring England into line with other parts of the UK, large fires will continue to blight schools. This is harming children’s education and putting lives at risk.

“As well as protecting pupils, sprinklers drastically reduce the extent of damage when there is a blaze, often confining the fire to a single room. It costs far more to repair fire-ravaged schools than it does to install sprinklers.

“Even so, cash strapped schools cannot be expected to pick up the bill. The government’s Covid-19 investment is a critical opportunity to ensure schools are more resilient to fire.

“Unless minsters change the law on sprinklers, much of this funding will be wasted on repairing the fire damage that sprinklers could have easily prevented.”

 

 

An online petition calling for a change to the law has already been signed by more than 2,000 people. If it gets to 10,000, the issue could be debated in parliament.

The service’s Group Manager Tim Gray said: “The effect of a fire on the school, its students and staff and the wider community cannot be underestimated. Rebuilding costs, disruption and loss of crucial course work all add to the significant impact that fire damage can cause.”

Nick Coombe of the National Fire Chiefs Council, which is campaigning on the issue of school sprinklers, said: “The case for sprinklers is compelling. Of almost 1,000 fires over five years in buildings where sprinklers were fitted, our research found they controlled or extinguished blazes in 99 per cent of cases.

“Sprinklers can dramatically reduce fire damage, making the reopening of a school much easier. This not only minimises the disruption to a pupil’s education, but also the impact on their family, the community and the wider education establishment.”

 

Source: Swindon Advertiser

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BLUEPRINTS SUBMITTED FOR NEW 6TH FORM

A Corby school is set to build a new sixth form to help cater for its growing number of students.

Red Kite Special Academy in Purbeck Drive has submitted blueprints to Corby Council to extend its building to create a single storey sixth form block with provision for three teaching spaces, a group room, a calm room and hygiene rooms.

The school, which opened in 2018, already has provision for children aged between reception and year 13 who have profound and multiple learning disabilities and other conditions in an environment that prioritises their needs.

The school has 63 pupils and it is hoped that the school will grow to cater for 110 children during the coming years and, in order to do so, it is proposed to build the new sixth form with specialist facilities.

A design and access statement to council planners written by designers The Darwin Group says: “The proposals were developed in collaboration with the school to ensure that the schools, and in turn the pupils, needs were met.

“The new building is based around the teaching spaces to accommodate the planned increase in pupil numbers, with a group room included to facilitate learning and meet Red Kite’s stated values.

“The design incorporates ancillary accommodation – above and beyond the typical designed in a small school building – to cater for the school’s specific requirements. This includes large hygiene suites, a calm room, and a wheelchair store.”

The building will be constructed using off-site modular techniques.

Source: The Northamptonshire Telegraph

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£4m –JUST A DROP IN A BUCKET

Nearly £4million has been confirmed as part of a Moray schools investment package to patch-up crumbling buildings that are ranked as being in the worst condition in Scotland.

The council cash will be spent across 14 sites during the next financial year to fix issues electrical wiring, ageing heating systems, roof repairs and drainage.

Meanwhile, a further £5million has been confirmed for new-build projects – including kick-starting preparations for construction to begin on another primary school in Elgin in 2022.

However, critics say the latest Moray schools investment package is just a “drop in the bucket” amid a repair backlog that stretches to £150million.

Concerns surrounding the state of the region’s learning estate were raised in a damning Accounts Commission report this year, which blamed a reluctance of councillors to make “difficult decisions” for the decline.

Sonya Warren, chairwoman of the council’s children and young person’s committee, said: “We know there are significant improvements needed to our learning estate to provide the best possible learning environments.

“Wide-scale and meaningful engagement is planned on how this looks in 10 to 20 years from now as part of our aspirational and investment-driven £300million strategy.

“Meanwhile, it’s hugely important we continue to invest in our school buildings so that, for our current learners, they are as close to the right standard for suitability and condition as we can achieve within the resources we have available.”

Council bosses have already admitted the £300million long-term vision to overhaul Moray’s schools could prove “controversial” among communities.

 

 

Refurbishments, new-builds, mergers and a combination of options have been highlighted as possible solutions.

Next year’s Moray schools investment package includes £340,000 being allocated to begin design work on the new Findrassie Primary School, which is planned for the north of Elgin.

Cash has been pledged to complete work on the new Lossiemouth High School, which is due to open to pupils next year.

Existing classrooms in the town are currently nearing capacity while housebuilding continues to put pressure on facilities.

Meanwhile, cash is due to spent on completing the Lossiemouth High School project, including building artificial sports pitches on the site of the existing school, and at Linkwood Primary in the south of Elgin.

Former council leader George Alexander, who represents Forres as an independent, said: “This money is just a drop in the bucket for what is needed, but these are the financial constraints the council is operating with.

“We’ve got to be careful where we spend the money though before we take decisions about the future of the estate though because I’m fairly convinced it will not remain in its present form.”

Source: The Press and Journal

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Thorn’s IQ Beam – classic good looks with the latest innovation

Thorn Lighting’s new recessed ceiling luminaire, IQ Beam combines integrated features and a clean exterior to create a classic look incorporating the latest in lighting innovations.

IQ Beam is available in two microprism optics and three different lumen packages (up to 4300 lm). Offering up to 140 lm/W of efficacy and a UGR below 19, the MPT version is the perfect performance luminaire for task lighting applications such as office and educational environments. The MPT-F version features an additional micro diffuser foil for enhanced comfort with an efficacy of up to 134 lm/W – ideal for corridor applications.

IQ Beam can be a direct replacement for standard 600 mm x 600 mm soft ceiling luminaires, it enables both pull-up and lay-in mounting for tremendous flexibility and is suitable for installation into exposed T, plasterboard and concealed grid ceiling systems.  IQ Beam is available with a 3000K or 4000K colour temperature, CRI>80 and a lifetime of 50 000 hours @ L90 Ta 25°C. It can also be ordered with a daylight/motion detection sensor, emergency lighting and DALI dimmable control gear as well as various pre-wiring options.

Perfectly balanced, IQ Beam delivers distinct illumination to provide a brilliant enhancement to any space. For more information on Thorn and its products,.

 

 www.thornlighting.co.uk

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First ever Passivhaus school in Powys

Paul Moran, Justine Baldwin and Councillor Phyl Davies

 

 

Building contractor Pave Aways has handed over the keys of the first ever Passivhaus school to be built for Powys County Council.

 

The construction firm has completed the main works to the Welshpool Church in Wales Primary School that meets the rigorous energy efficiency standards required for Passivhaus certification.

Constructed around a timber frame that was sustainably sourced in Wales, the school has a superior level of insulation and was built to be airtight. It also has a heat recovery and ventilation system and solar panels on the roof to minimise running costs.

The school, which will open for 360 pupils in January, has been built as part of the council’s Strategy for Transforming Education in Powys. It is being funded by the Welsh Government 21st Century Schools Programme with 50 per cent of the cost coming from Powys County Council. The project is being delivered in partnership with Heart of Wales Property Services.

 

 

Pave Aways took over the build following the collapse of the original contractor Dawnus. The firm, which has its Welsh headquarters in Wrexham, is currently working on two other Passivhaus schemes for the council – 28 apartments in Newtown and six homes in Sarn that will provide affordable housing.

Steven Owen, managing director of Pave Aways, said: “This scheme will provide a contemporary and energy efficient school that will serve the children of Welshpool well for years to come.

“It has given a huge boost to the local economy, supporting a large number of jobs on site and through our supply chain, as well as upskilling many trades who had never worked on a Passivhaus scheme before.

 

Source: Shropshire Star

 

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FUNDING SOUGHT FOR SHETLAND COLLEGE

FUNDING is being sought for around £2 million worth of upgrades to facilities at Shetland’s colleges in a drive to enhance the student and learning experience.

Officials are looking to bid for money from the UK and Scottish governments’ £100 million islands growth deal, which is designed to boost the economies in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles.

A strategic outline case has now been created in conjunction with the University of the Highlands and Islands around the options for potential upgrades to Shetland’s college facilities.

There is no guarantee the project will be successful in bagging islands deal funding, although if it is taken to the next stage a full business case would need to be developed in time for March.

The strategic outline case says the focus is to create “modern, fit-for-purpose student spaces, learning spaces, workshop spaces and community spaces”.

“These will encompass spaces in both the existing college campuses and rural learning centres, complemented by a range of new mobile and temporary ‘pop-up’ facilities, which will be used to extend the provision of learning opportunities, including into schools and into communities not served by permanent learning centre,” it adds.

It comes against the backdrop of a proposed merger of Shetland College, NAFC Marine Centre and Train Shetland which is expected to come into force next year.

The NAFC Marine Centre UHI. Photo: Shetland News

The strategic outline case says that despite some “piecemeal updates, most college learning facilities are at least 20 years old and are not well equipped or suited for the delivery of modern learning opportunities”.

Part of the plan is to create ‘student hubs’ in each of the college campuses, which will include improved and expanded study spaces and dedicated leisure areas.

Existing classrooms could also be upgraded to provide “flexible, general-purpose learning areas” which could support face-to-face, remote and other methods of learning.

These will include facilities for interactive links between the learning spaces and other locations, including college workshops, aquaculture research facilities and boats.

A so-called Newton Room could also be created which would give a focus for those studying STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects.

It could tap into industries important to Shetland’s economy, such as fishing, aquaculture, engineering and construction, or those which have the potential for “significant future growth” like renewables, net-zero carbon and space rocketry.

Also among the proposals is a focus on immersive classrooms, which would use multiple projectors and surround sound to create a 360 degrees learning area in which “learners are immersed in an artificially generated environment”.

This could include a factory floor, the deck of a fishing boat, or below the surface of the sea.

 

 

An aquaculture learning facility could also be developed within the NAFC Marine Centre’s existing onshore research facilities to provide learners with opportunities to gain first hand experience of the aquaculture research environment.

Existing engineering and construction workshops could also be upgraded, with a focus on training in the context of achieving a net-zero carbon economy.

This could include the provision of facilities to train engineers on alternative energy technologies, including energy storage technology and hydrogen generation.

The proposals include upgrades to the existing network of learning centres, and portable pop-up equipment that could be used in any venue, including schools, halls and business premises.

Options were included in the strategic outline case for the construction of two new campuses on the site of the existing college and NAFC Marine Centre, and also to build a new single campus to merge all activities, but they were ruled out due to the cost.

Shetland College principal Jane Lewis told Shetland News on Thursday that the project team were due to get feedback on the case “this week”.

She stressed that at the moment it is unclear which projects would receive funding from the islands deal.

Other Shetland-specific initiatives mooted for islands deal money include the redevelopment of the old Anderson High School site and decommissioning.

Lewis said the campus redevelopment is part of a wider strategy for the future of college learning in Shetland.

“In developing the new college we are very much looking to the future and developing the student experience, improving what we can do, working more closely with community and industry and employers is very much part of how we’re trying to take things forward,” she said.

Chairman of the transition board for the merged college, Davie Sandison, said at this stage the case is something of a “wish list” of upgrades.

But he said it was a “good pitch”, adding that a focus on space for students was a key factor.

“If we ever get back to what you would call normal student life you would want to see improvement in overall facilities that would let students feel a bit more like there’s space for them to interact and get together rather than just in the canteen,” Sandison said.

“That was something that we felt definitely needed to be enhanced.

“The other one that I’ve always liked the concept of is the Newton Room, and how we would increase our facilities that address serious areas that we need to invest in for the future.”

 

Source: Shetland News

 

 

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FROM WHITE ELEPHANT TO ASPIRATIONAL COLLEGE

A founder governor of Wigan’s former university technical college has voiced delight at plans to put it to new good use.

Wigan and Leigh College was chosen by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to take over the Parson’s Walk buildings and extend into it in partnership with the NHS and Edge Hill University, beating a counter-bid to create an extension of Bolton University’s annexe.

Ex-headteacher of Standish High School Geoff Ashton was a trustee of the UTC which closed its doors in the summer of 2019 and had been concerned that the building might remain a white elephant for years to come.

But having been impressed by the Bolton offer, he has now pronounced himself equally so with the winning bid.

 

Vertical Farming – Forecast to be an industry worth 26bn within 6 years in Europe

There is only one regret – that there is no place in the college’s plans for the spectacular vertical farm which is the only one in Britain at present

and the only one in the world to have been incorporated into an educational establishment.

In many other countries this form of controlled environment agriculture is seen as the way forward and from being non-existent in 2010 it is now a £3bn industry globally (the US and Germany showing particular interest) and forecast to be worth £26bn in six years’ time.

The state-of-the-art machinery was paid for by local tycoon Martin Ainscough and so is not part of the premises and at least parts of it now look likely to go to a project called FarmUrban run by PhD scientists in Liverpool in partnership with the city’s university, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Ness Gardens on the Wirral.

 

But even though Wigan looks set to lose this unique and prized possession, the plans otherwise have met with great favour.

As part of the college estate and in the town’s Education Quarter, the new Centre for Advanced Technical Studies – as it will be called – will focus on providing a wider choice of higher education in skill priority areas to Wigan borough residents.

Aspects of the college’s University Centre will be based in the building along with the Government’s new flag-ship T-level qualifications.

The centre will also provide the facilities for skills programmes being developed by the education and skills partnership between Edge Hill University, Wigan Council, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL).

And Mr Ashton said: “I welcome these plans.

“I think it is tremendous for three reasons. For one I am delighted that the building is being brought back to life after so long a period.

“Secondly the model put forward is the one that the trustees put forward two years ago, only with different tenants so I am very pleased they have taken it on board and populated it.

“And thirdly it addresses the needs identified in Wigan Council’s excellent employment and skills strategy that it published last year which talks about upskilling, fulfilling young people’s potential and raising aspirations.”

The strategy shows primary schools performing above the national average but at secondary school level the picture isn’t so rosy with no institutions in the borough declared outstanding and 37 per cent judged by Ofsted to be inadequate or in need of improvement.

As far as Progress 8 scores – the new measure for how schools improve an individual pupil’s performation through their education – are concerned, Wigan languishes 13th from the bottom of a list of English local authority areas.

Mr Ashton points that there is a mixed picture in further education, although he says that pupils have, of course, greater options to choose from among good institutions outside the Wigan area if needs be.

But he says the new UTC project aligns closely to the employment and skills strategy which should markedly improve the borough’s own further educational offer.

On the subject of the vertical farm, he said: “It is a shame that at least some of it looks likely to be leaving the borough when Wigan was the first place in the country to have one and the first in the world to incorporate one into an educational institution.

“But we have been in talks with FarmUrban for two years and the machinery and intellectual property will be going to a good home.

“Maybe we should have a blue plaque put up at the premises as a reminder that it all started here when this concept has really taken off nationally.”

 

Source: Wigan Today

 

 

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