Demolition planned for three modular-built schools

The government has announced that three schools, constructed by the now-defunct offsite specialist Caledonian Modular, are slated for demolition and reconstruction.

Caledonian Modular was responsible for building Haygrove School in Bridgwater, Somerset, and Sir Frederick Gibberd College in Harlow, Essex, as part of a combined £38m agreement.

Sir Frederick Gibberd College’s main building had to be closed, having been in operation for less than two years, due to worries that it could potentially collapse in extreme conditions like heavy snow or high winds.

Following additional inspections, Haygrove School received notice in September that it could no longer use its main building due to “issues with structural integrity” identified by the government.

Similarly, another school built by Caledonian Modular, Buckton Fields Primary School near Northampton, faced closure and has now been officially condemned.

All three schools were constructed under the Department for Education’s £3bn modular framework, initiated in 2020 to speed up construction processes and ensure better value for money.

Baroness Barran, Minister for the School System and Student Finance, announced that the department will begin the procurement of building contractors to demolish the existing sites and proceed with new construction.

Additionally, two partially constructed primary schools in Cornwall, affiliated with Caledonian Modular before its administration in March 2022, were entirely demolished.

Both the Launceston and Newquay primary school projects faced condemnation at the time due to construction issues.