Essex school places boosted by Morgan Sindall Construction

The number of school places in Essex has received a significant boost following three major school expansions delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction.

More than 400 school and boarding places have been delivered on behalf of Essex County Council via its £300 million four-year Essex Construction Framework (ECF) which has supported the construction of thousands of new school places across the region.

The projects; Lexden Springs School, Glenwood School and Ryedene Primary and Nursey School have all received major upgrades as part of a wider drive to meet the growing demand for school places across Essex.

Morgan Sindall Construction has recently handed over a £19 million expansion to Lexden Springs School, a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school, in Colchester. The major relocation and expansion project has increased the school’s capacity from 120 to 200 pupils.

The state-of-the-art campus on the former Heath School site, in Winstree Road, Stanway, has received 30 new boarding places, as well as extensive car parking and landscaping works. The new building has two separate entrances, with one specifically designed for use by minibuses and taxis to drop off and collect pupils.

The expansion is part of the authority’s plans to spend up to £115 million on SEND places across Essex.

The record investment, which includes £42 million from the Essex Schools Forum, comes after an increase in the number of children in the county being diagnosed with autism and a surge in the demand for SEND school places.

In Benfleet, a new ‘home from home’ has been constructed for SEN learners at Glenwood School. The 20-bedroom accommodation for pupils at the school, on Rushbottom Lane, will provide comfortable accommodation for children and young adults with severe and multiple learning difficulties. The residential facilities will enable Glenwood School to provide a 24-hour curriculum, Monday to Thursday during term time, for some of the young people who attend the school.

Morgan Sindall Construction previously delivered Glenwood School’s new £15.5 million state-of-the-art facility in 2017, which increased the school’s capacity from 150 to 210 places.

Elsewhere in Essex, the company has delivered a £3.1 million expansion to Ryedene Primary and Nursery School in Basildon, creating 210 new school places.

The school, on Clover Way, has undergone a significant expansion to create a new teaching block with eight classrooms, as well as upgrades to the school’s existing facilities and an extension to create a new kitchen area. A new car park has been built to provide additional parking spaces for the school as well as landscaping works to the outdoor space.

Property and design consultancy Concertus was a project partner on both Glenwood School and Ryedene Primary and Nursery School.

Chris Travers, operations director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the East of England, said: “As Essex continues to become a highly attractive destination for families to live and work, it’s crucial that the region is supported with the necessary infrastructure and education facilities to support them. In recent years, we’ve seen increasing demand for school places in the region, especially for SEN and SEND learners, and Essex County Council’s record investment to boost these services is fantastic.
“We’re incredibly proud to have supported Essex County Council with their vision to create inspiring, special places where children and young people at all stages of their education journey can prosper and reach their true potential. The benefit of this investment will be felt across the region for many years to come.”

Councillor Ray Gooding, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills at Essex County Council, said: “I am incredibly pleased that we’ve been able to create so many more school places in Essex, particularly for SEN pupils. Every child in Essex should be able to access the education they want and deserve and being able to expand some of our great schools helps make this possible.”

• For more information about this news release please contact Steph Bocking at Influential on 0151 239 5000 or email bocking@thisisinfluential.com.