“As if it’s always been there!” That’s the view of the headteacher following completion of a major extension at a primary school in Shropshire.
The new classroom at Brown Clee Primary School in Ditton Priors has made a huge difference to the learning environment, and pupils have been excited to use the extra space.
We handed the site over to the school ready for the start of the new term in January, and it’s been a smooth project from start to finish.
No negative impact from construction work
“Having the new classroom now allows us to function effectively as a mixed-age five class school as we have the appropriate space for each key stage,” says headteacher Sue Relph.
“We now have space for the Year 1 and 2 children to benefit from a reading corner, role play area and carpet space for circle time - all of which wasn't possible in the previous space.
“The new room has great storage space and fits with the look and scheme of the rest of the school - almost as if it was always there!
“The whole process from design to completion ran smoothly, with plenty of communication and a close working relationship - so that even with diggers, concrete mixers and the accompanying noise, there was no negative impact on the running of the school or learning.”
Careful coordination minimises disruption
As always, the SWG team made a lot of effort to minimise disruption for pupils, parents and staff during the work.
Site manager, Terry Hayward, says: “We are experienced at working in live environments such as this, so the team was careful to coordinate deliveries and particularly noisy activities to avoid disturbing lessons.
“Whenever we carry out school projects we are always keen to include the children as much as possible, so we attended school assemblies to update them on the progress and explain what was happening.
We are delighted that teachers and pupils are pleased with the new classroom.”
Terry says the extension was designed to fit seamlessly with the existing building to enhance the overall look of the school.
A job well done
“It was quite a major project, involving the removal of a section of existing retaining wall to provide access to the new extension and utilising existing services and drainage,” he added.
“The extension was designed to match the existing brick and block construction, so it’s great to hear Miss Relph say it looks as if the new classroom has always been there - a job well done!”
