Education projects taking shape across the East Midlands
Construction is underway on several education projects in the East Midlands, with multi-disciplinary design practice rg+p playing a key role in delivering them.
In West Northamptonshire, the £22m Tiffield Academy is taking shape, with Willmott Dixon leading the build.
The new school will feature a range of specialist spaces, including sensory rooms, rebound therapy and outdoor play areas, and is set to open its doors to 230 pupils by the summer of 2025.
Also in Tiffield, the £5.2m refurbishment of the Gateway School is set to improve facilities for students with social, emotional and mental health needs, including reopening the existing swimming pool.
In the Overstone Leys development, Leicester-based rg+p is also overseeing the construction of a new £11.5m primary school designed to accommodate 420 pupils.
Beyond Northamptonshire, rg+p has been appointed on several other education projects, including a £4.8m expansion of All Saints College in Notting Hill, a £1.3m refurbishment of a village hall for Homefield College in Mountsorrel, and a £5m phased extension at Oaktree School in Enfield.
Mitch Dale, director at rg+p said: “These new projects are a mix of refurb and new build schemes, and have all been secured over the last 18 months or so as investment in the education sector has accelerated. The School Rebuilding Programme is a major contributor to this, so we were pleased the Autumn Budget allocated an additional £1.4bn to allow this to continue, along with £2.1m to maintain and improve school buildings, £300m for college estate investment, and £1bn towards the transformation of the Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system. These pledges represent a necessary boost for the sector and will ensure learning environments are upgraded to help the next generation succeed.
“In addition to these six projects, we were also pleased to be reconfirmed as a preferred supplier on the West Northamptonshire Council Multiple Consultant Framework for the provision of Professional Design, Technical and Estates services. We were successful in the Project Management, QS & Cost Consultant, and Clerk of Works lots and are now supporting delivery of a trio of major schemes in the region.”
Beyond Northamptonshire, rg+p has been appointed on several other education projects, including a £4.8m expansion of All Saints College in Notting Hill, a £1.3m refurbishment of a village hall for Homefield College in Mountsorrel, and a £5m phased extension at Oaktree School in Enfield.
