New £8 million Hailsham Primary Academy tops out

Morgan Sindall Construction has celebrated topping out at a new state-of-the-art primary and nursery school in Hailsham, East Sussex.

The new £8 million Hailsham Community College Primary Academy will form part of the Hailsham Community College Academy Trust, which is lowering its age range to welcome primary school pupils starting from September 2019.

Morgan Sindall Construction was appointed by East Sussex County Council to deliver the brand new two-storey, two form primary and nursery school.

The topping out ceremony marked the completion of the new building’s structure and was celebrated by staff, school governors and students from Hailsham Community College, as well as parents and pupils who will be starting at the new Primary Academy in September. Representatives from East Sussex County Council also joined the celebrations.

Located near Park Road in Hellingly, the new school will create 420 primary and nursey places to serve the north Hailsham community.

As well as creating a separate nursery facility for 40 children, the 14 classrooms will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology. There will be a library and separate food science and technology areas, SEN therapy rooms and a multi-use hall space for dining and sports.

East Sussex County Council’s investment in the new primary school comes as the birth rate in Hailsham continues to rise, which is linked to the significant levels of new homes being built in the town.

The expansion of the all-through academy is designed to see children joining the nursery from the age of two and leaving Hailsham Sixth Form when they are 18 to 19 years old.

The project was procured through the Orbis framework, which is a shared services partnership between East Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and Surrey County Council.

A panelised modular system has been applied during the early stage of the build process, which has allowed the structural panels to be delivered to the site with external windows, doors and glazing pre-installed. This specific modular system was a first for Morgan Sindall Construction and has ensured a shorter timescale of delivery and a smaller volume of deliveries to the construction site to date.

Morgan Sindall Construction’s project team has formed a close working relationship with Hailsham Community College, having hosted several construction career talks with their students and providing opportunities for work experience and site visits.

Russell Chatfield, area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said: “Construction work is progressing well at the new Hailsham Community College Primary Academy, which will welcome its first intake of pupils this September. Morgan Sindall Construction is proud to be delivering this vital community asset for Hailsham, which will allow families from the area to send their children to a first-class school right on their doorstep. We’re enjoying working closely with East Sussex County Council on this major project and are looking forward to handing over this wonderful facility later this summer.”

Alice Smyth at East Sussex County Council, said: “This significant construction milestone has been achieved ahead of programme, by close collaboration between Morgan Sindall Construction, East Sussex County Council and Hailsham Community College. In addition to the construction process, Steve Sear, on behalf of Morgan Sindall Construction has contributed to student engagement by introducing them to career paths in construction by attending school assemblies and enabling student work experience on site. Morgan Sindall Construction has been actively promoting the new school in the community by holding coffee mornings on site for prospective parents and conducting site tours for members of the community, school governors and parents.’’

Mr Phil Matthews, principal at Hailsham Community College, said: “The topping out ceremony marked a significant moment in our journey to becoming an all-through school. I am absolutely delighted with progress on the primary school and am very much looking forward to opening our doors this September to our first ever cohort of reception-age children. We are tremendously excited about all the new school has to offer; the state-of-the-art classrooms and sporting facilities are going to provide an outstanding learning environment for Hailsham’s families. It has been a pleasure working with Morgan Sindall Construction on this project. Their professionalism and willingness to listen to our thoughts and suggestions has made for an excellent partnership.”

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