Morgan Sindall Construction delivers Great Yarmouth school

Morgan Sindall Construction has completed works on North Denes Primary School - a brand new £7 million school in Great Yarmouth.

The works included the construction of a brand new two-form entry teaching facility, to provide 420 school places, as well as external landscaping and the demolition of the existing 1930’s school building.

The project is the latest to be delivered for Norfolk County Council as part of the council’s £169 million investment programme to meet the demand for school places in growing communities across the county.

The school, designed by Norfolk Property Services (NPS), features photovoltaic panels on the roof, drawing on passive environment design principals to create a naturally ventilated, energy efficient, environmentally friendly building.

In addition to this, and given the school’s close proximity to the sea, Morgan Sindall Construction worked closely with the NPS design team to ensure any materials used on the building were able to withstand the coastal environment.

Classes continued in the old school throughout construction works, with a number of traffic management and access processes, including restricted delivery times and a dedicated pedestrian walkway into the school, being implemented to minimise disruption to lessons and exams.

As part of its continued dedication to social value, Morgan Sindall Construction provided work placements for local students to gain hands-on experience across all elements of the construction and built environment sectors. The company also worked closely with North Denes School to provide Christmas presents for each child and assistance to the much-needed foodbank, which operated from the school.

Debbie Whiting, Head Teacher at North Denes Primary School said: “We are all thrilled to move into our brand new school, which offers a modern, purpose built facility that will provide everything the children need in order to learn and really enjoy being in school.
We can’t thank Morgan Sindall Construction enough for all they have done, they have been an amazing partner with whom to work and have almost become part of our school team.
The workmanship is absolutely first class and many generations of children will hopefully benefit from all the school has to offer.
The children were all very excited on their first day and couldn’t wait to see inside. The staff and children all feel very proud and privileged to be able to work and to learn in the ‘new’ North Denes Primary School.”

Cllr John Fisher, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Norfolk County Council, said “This project is another exciting step forward in our county-wide efforts to invest into education in Norfolk.
We’re investing £169 million into improving the future of education for every child across the county. The new school building at North Denes Primary School is a brilliant facility, and we’re excited to the impact it will have on the children, staff and wider community.”

Alister Broadberry, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction said: “We are pleased to have completed work to deliver this important new educational facility for Great Yarmouth, offering the growing community access to first class education in an inspiring and modern setting.
Morgan Sindall Construction has enjoyed furthering our close collaborative relationship with Norfolk County Council and NPS throughout the scheme, as well as sourcing labour and materials locally where possible to ensure the impact of the project is felt by the wider Great Yarmouth community.”

Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19, the project team was able to continue operations by implementing strict hygiene and social distancing measures, in order to deliver the school on time.
North Denes Primary School is the latest in a string of schools to be delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction in the East of England, creating over 1,400 school places for children across the region.

The company has also delivered new school places at Hethersett Primary School in Norfolk, Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, The Bridge School in Ipswich, and Warley School in Essex.

• For more information about this news release please contact Ruth Cobban or Sophie Anderson at Influential on 07814 556 567 or 07593 133 363 or email cobban@thisisinfluential.com or anderson@thisisinfluential.com