Southampton set to boost number of Special Educational Needs school places

A groundbreaking ceremony has been held to mark the start of work on the £5.3 million expansion to a Southampton primary school, which will help to boost the number of special education needs (SEN) school places in the city.

Springwell School, in Thornhill, will undergo significant expansion works to its teaching facilities that will comprise a new two-storey block, including eight new classrooms, separate dining and sports halls and a range of teaching and community spaces.

The project on behalf of Southampton City Council is being delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction.

The school’s head teacher joined the celebrations as Morgan Sindall Construction officially started construction work on their new teaching block. The project is expected to complete in time for the start of the 2019 academic year.

Springwell School, on Hinkler Road, is a primary school for children aged four to eleven years with complex learning needs.

Morgan Sindall Construction is delivering the second phase of significant expansion works to the school, which will eventually mean Springwell will have 26 classrooms on site by 2021.

Cliff Kinch, area director of Morgan Sindall Construction’s Fareham office, said: “We’re thrilled to be working alongside Southampton City Council to deliver this significant expansion to Springwell School, which will create the much-needed additional SEN school places for children across the city.
“Work is now underway on the new teaching block, which will be a fantastic addition to Springwell and the wider community it serves. The new facilities will create bright, spacious and modern surroundings for teachers and pupils and ensure that even more children can enjoy the start of their educational journey in a first-class learning environment.”

Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Councillor Darren Paffey said: “It’s great to see that the next phase of expansion at Springwell School is making progress. Springwell is an outstanding school, and this state of the art development will help us provide not only an excellent education but also sufficient places for more children with special educational needs in the city.”

Morgan Sindall Construction’s project partners included architect HGP, structural engineers Scott White and Hookins and project and programme management consultancy Faithful+Gould.

Morgan Sindall Construction is currently on site at major schemes across the region. The company recently celebrated topping out at Solent University’s new £28 million sports centre. The building will provide a state-of-the-art sport and physical activity space for all students and staff at the university. The project is expected to complete in the summer of 2019.

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