The Government’s Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) is revamping and replacing a swathe of schools across the country and with delivery timescales, build quality and overall costs central to success, offsite modular techniques are playing a huge role.
Driving the funding for this is the Education Funding Agency (EFA) that will manage £54 billion of funding a year to support all state-provided education for eight million children aged 3 to 16 and 1.6 million young people aged 16 to 19.
The two phases of the PSBP will cover a total of 537 schools. Under the first phase, PSBP1, 260 schools are being rebuilt and/or refurbished: 214 through capital grant and 46 using PFI. The first school opened in April 2014 and the vast majority of others will be open by the end of 2017 – two years earlier than originally announced.
Under the second phase, PSBP2, individual blocks at 277 schools will be rebuilt and refurbished using capital grant. By focusing on individual school buildings rather than just whole schools, the EFA wants to: “maximise the impact of our investment, helping funding go further to help the schools in most need.” The EFA plans for all PSBP2 schools to open their new or refurbished buildings by the end of 2021.
Expectations are high. The Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme which was cancelled in 2010 saw many local authorities halt refurbishment maintenance programmes which has exacerbated an already huge problem in building modernisation – many schools are in poor repair and hugely energy-inefficient.
Schools are being upgraded with an emphasis on quality construction and engineering and aesthetic architectural thinking, to create a new generation of education environments that provide a fresh and healthy learning space for pupils and staff. Speaking last year, Mike Green, Director of Capital at the EFA said: “Modular school structures must look just like normal buildings. But standardisation is still the key.
Standard classrooms, and even school halls could be held in stock to be called for a faster build. The architect needs to ensure many things, not just that the form and function of the buildings fits within its local context, vernacular and environment. But there are a variety of stakeholders who are now so instrumental in all technical aspects, that their importance cannot be ignored if we are to raise quality of teaching standards. Everyone wants schools that look like schools. Not modular buildings.”
A prime example of this was seen at Pyrford Primary School near Woking where modules were craned into position at the new £5.6 million building accommodating 480 children. The project replaces an existing facility which is beyond repair. It is the first of six schools in the Surrey and Kent region being rebuilt under the PSBP by the Portakabin Group in contracts worth in the region of £28 million. Each scheme is being designed in line with stringent Department for Education teaching standards to create outstanding learning environments and will be delivered using advanced offsite construction solutions.
The structure for the new Pyrford Primary School was manufactured offsite in York using the latest modular technology. It was craned into position onsite in Woking in just seven days during the school holidays. A large 500-tonne crane was used to lift the steel building modules, weighing up to 20 tonnes, from an adjacent cricket field and over trees. The use of offsite construction halved the programme time for completion and occupation ready for the start of the 2016/17 academic year. The original school building is set to be demolished. The approach has avoided any interruption to teaching on this constrained rural site which is immediately adjacent to the existing school.
Kathryn Krynicki, Head Teacher at Pyrford Primary School said: “We were delighted and excited to return from the school holidays to see our new building already in place. This is another key milestone in the project and in the history of the school. Our current facilities are beyond repair so we are really looking forward to having a brand new, purpose-designed school which will transform the learning environment for our children and our staff.”
Richard Crosby, Project Director at the Education Funding Agency added: “We are very happy with the new school for Pyrford Primary. The quality of the building is very good and we look forward to the successful delivery of the other Priority School Building Programme projects in the Surrey and Kent batch and to achieving even greater efficiencies with the use of offsite construction.”
The new school is designed to have high levels of natural light to improve concentration levels, and increased access and space for outdoor play and learning. Features included: 16 bright classrooms with dual aspect natural light, a double-height multi-purpose hall and two teaching wings organised around an internal central ‘street’ to allow good passive supervision and provide informal group learning space and break-out zones.
Source: Offsite Magazine - Issue 5
