Council appoints construction firm for £5.6m school extension

Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed by Birmingham City Council to build a £5.6m extension to Kings Heath Boys School in Birmingham.

The project was tendered through the Construction West Midlands (CWM) Framework which is managed by consultancy firm Acivico, on behalf of Birmingham City Council.

Designs by local architect, Associated Architects outline a three-storey, 14,854 sq ft building.

Enabling works began in July on the first phase of construction while pupils were off-site for their summer holidays.

The existing kitchen and administration block has been demolished to make space for a new sub-station upgrade and 1,743 sq ft kitchen extension.

First phase works are scheduled to complete in early November. Construction will then begin on the new extension itself.

Work on the overall project is expected to complete by late 2021.

David Kelly, CWM framework manager at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Local authorities across the West Midlands are employing innovative solutions to expand schools to support demand for primary and secondary school pupils, in the face of rapid population growth. Well-designed modern extensions and repurposed existing buildings have a key role to play.

“Working through an established framework like CWM ensures fast and efficient procurement, which is key to delivering these education projects quickly and efficiently. It also grants access to a skilled local supply chain and delivery partners which understand the challenges in designing and building learning environments, often to tight timescales and very specific briefs.

“We’re very pleased to have made good progress on the initial phase of this project while the pupils have been at home. We’ll work courteously and safely to finish it alongside a live school site and are looking forward to handing it over late next year.”