Client: Staffordshire County Council Location: Stafford Value: £4.0m
Design & Build
Remodelling and refurbishment of the former Kingston Education Centre, to create a new home for St. Leonards Primary School in Stafford.
Delivered on behalf of Staffordshire County Council through the Constructing West Midlands (CWM) Framework and designed and project managed by Entrust, the project enabled the school to re-locate from its existing outgrown and outdated Victorian premises.
Works involved the remodelling of existing spaces to provide spacious and modern teaching classrooms, along with a new catering kitchen and ancillary spaces.
Sustainability was integral to the building’s design and operation, with £800,000 of Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding. This enabled a multi-measure decarbonisation approach to the refurbishment, with building fabric improvements, including thermal storage ceiling panels and draught lobbies. New doors and windows were installed, with a natural tint to the glazing for solar heat gain. Mechanical and electrical upgrades comprised the replacement of three end-of-life boilers and two air source heat pumps, along with a new sub-station to effectively manage the upgrades.
The building also now features various sustainable systems such as 59m2 of photovoltaic panels to the roof, LED and PIR lighting and hybrid heating and cooling air handling units which actively ventilate and thermally control the indoor conditions and CO2 levels.
Externally, we created a new multi-use games area, hard and soft playing spaces and a new parking area for staff and visitors.
Located in a busy residential area, we maintained close liaison with local residents to ensure works and deliveries were co-ordinated around peak times. Monthly newsletters kept the community up to date with the latest project progress and planned works.
Social value provided across the project, included 22-apprentice weeks, 68-hours of site tours for pupils and staff, 74-hours of staff volunteering and over £1,000 in donations to community groups. 99% of site waste was recycled and 4.7 tonnes of waste wood collected by social enterprise, Community Wood Recycling.
During the works, eighty trees were donated by The Woodland Trust and planted within the school grounds to create a forest area, providing a creative space for pupils to have hands-on experience of the natural environment, whilst also enhancing the ecology of the site.
The building now offers an energy efficient, modern and welcoming environment for staff and pupils, with extensive external playing provision and allows for adaptability and future expansion for up to 200 pupils, helping meet demand for school places. The performance improvements are expected to reduce the buildings carbon usage by 166.68 tCO2e per annum.
The redevelopment received a positive response, with the scheme demonstrating a commitment to local investment in education and carbon reduction. This was recognised at the Constructing Excellence Awards, when the scheme was shortlisted for the best Regeneration and Retrofit award.
“I would like to reiterate my gratitude to G F Tomlinson and the wider team for all the hard work, enthusiasm and commitment to these projects and ensuring they were delivered successfully.” – Chris Nightingale of Entrust Education
