Peckover Primary School
Framework: SCAPE Regional Construction Framework
Sector: Education
Value: £750k
“The Trust is delighted with the pre-school building and I would like to thank everyone involved in its planning and construction, including Cambridgeshire County Council and the Weston Foundation, whose generosity has allowed us to build a phenomenal asset for the community of Wisbech.”
Dr Andrew Campbell
Brooke Weston Trust CEO
How can a growing school in need of new nursery services, enhanced parking provisions, and a small office extension, ensure it can serve the needs of the local community? This was the question facing Peckover Primary School in Wisbech, and Brooke Weston Trust found their answer in the SCAPE Regional Construction framework.
With no existing nursery provision, the Brooke Weston Trust needed to develop a high quality, new nursery that will positively influence the lives of its pupils and their families. Alongside this, they required additional space to accommodate a further 52 pupils, and an extra 30 car parking spaces to benefit staff and visitors, as well as provide clear and safe access for drop-off and pick-up times.
Selecting the SCAPE Regional Construction framework for it's speed, best-in-class delivery partners, and commitment to social value delivery - R G Carter were appointed by the Trust to deliver two separate programmes of work to be completed at the same time. Accelerated by the framework, the projects were successfully delivered three weeks early.
With no existing nursery provision and limited parking, school drop-off for parents and pupils was becoming extremely difficult. Meeting the commitment for a school place for every child, meant Peckover Primary needed to add nursery services and provide additional parking, along with a small office extension, to support the local community, families and businesses. Brooke Weston Trust realised they needed access to a delivery partner via a framework that operates with social value and sustainability at its heart, prioritising the needs of the local community.
Designed with the school's youngest children in mind, the new nursery needed to provide an environment that eased the transition from home to nursery, with a softer environment than that of the main school building. The increased parking provisions (an additional 30 spaces) along with a 41m2 pastoral extension, and remodelling to the existing offices and lobby area were to be delivered at the same time - minimising disruption for the local community.
As the projects were delivered simultaneously on a live and occupied site, the logistics of the two schemes required careful planning and consideration.
It was agreed that a modular approach to construction would ensure the new nursery classroom was delivered within time and budget. As part of R G Carter's approach via our Regional Construction framework, the delivery of the prefabricated nursery classroom was key when drawing up the logistics strategy. Working in close collaboration with the school and the modular provider, the eco-classroom was delivered outside of school hours, during the school holidays, minimising risk and disruption to the daily running of the school.
Furthermore, as the school had restricted access and within the busy town centre, R G Carter managed deliveries for either before and after the school day. This meant that parents and carers coming to pick-up/drop-off their children were unaffected.
It was also essential that safe access to the school playing fields for the children was always maintained. Mitigating risk to pupils and teachers, a segregated route from the school past the construction site to playing fields was installed.
One of the main difficulties during the design was the Flood Risk Assessment. R G Carter was able to adapt the design and include a bund with the topsoil from the existing site which then acted as a safe refuge space, both eliminating the need to increase levels and save cost from exporting soil from site.
The nursery project was successfully delivered 3 weeks ahead of programme and overall, received a CCS score of 41 out of 50 for the positive impact the project had on the community, which also led to it winning the CCS Silver Award. The new nursery pupils received a memorable, fairytale start from Cinderella who attended the official opening and provided the opportunity to ride in Cinderella’s carriage.
By opting for an eco-classroom for the nursery, R G Carter were able to provide life cycle costing through the heating and cooling of the building by more than 1400kWh a year compared to a traditional built classroom, as well as providing 67% less energy. Additionally, true to the sustainable ethos of the SCAPE frameworks, the use of MMC provided the school with positive sustainable impacts. By utilising the renewable resource of timber, this means that once the building reaches its life expectancy the insulation - which does not contain artificial colours or added formaldehyde can be removed and the remaining building be recycled.
As part of R G Carter's commitment to drive sustainability through site activities, they re-used all soils from site within the projects. For example, soils were used for the levelling of the new car parking spaces, to reduce offsite waste. The new extension was also built utilising a timber frame, prefabricated SIP form solution. This method offered reductions in carbon and energy used in construction.
Key trades for packages such as groundworks, MEP and carpentry all came from Wisbech within a 5-mile radius of the site.
Silver Award
Considerate Constructor Scheme
Key trades
from within 5 miles of site
In collaboration with:
“I can say that R G Carter will safely be at the top of my recommendations list. The project would not have gone ahead without both R G Carter and Cambridge Council’s input”
Matt Isherwood
Director of Estates | Brooke Weston Trust
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