Aston Academy Construction Project | £3.7M Education Development

Client:

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Sector:

Education, Frameworks

Project Value:
£3.7 million

Duration:
52 Weeks

Project Overview

The project comprised the construction of a new two-storey classroom block (10 classrooms) and an integral/attached double height gymnasium with changing facilities, in addition to refurbishment of the Design and Technology block, plus car parking facilities.

Scope of Works

The primary construction comprised a traditional brick-and-block cavity envelope, with a steel frame supporting structure and concrete floors, including suspended beam-and-block construction at ground floor level.

In addition, the existing DT block was refurbished to provide new Design & Technology and Food Technology rooms, with minimal structural alterations required.

Challenges & Our Approach

Challenge: Building within a live school environment

This new facility was delivered on a tightly constrained site accessed through a fully operational school, requiring construction to take place alongside the daily movement of more than 800 students and staff.

Solution: Safety-led planning and seamless coordination

Through rigorous access planning, clearly defined delivery windows and close collaboration with the school’s leadership team, works were carefully coordinated around the school day. Dedicated site control, regular briefings and strict movement protocols ensured the project was delivered safely, efficiently and with minimal disruption to learning.

Sustainability & Social Value

The project was procured via the YORbuild framework which incorporates Employment and Skills benchmarks for every project. In addition, Rotherham Council who are wholly committed to delivering added social value on their projects, engaged with the Social Value Portal to monitor activity through the contract. The portal acts as a tool to calculate the overall social value monetary commitment through national TOMS and coordinates the ongoing management and monitoring of these commitments. We met the target for 100% delivery.

1 x full-time Labourer recruited for the duration of the project
56 weeks of training opportunities on the project (NVQ Level 7)
30 weeks of apprenticeships on project
12 hours dedicated to support young people into work
Local spend on key packages with Rotherham based businesses

Outcome

The project delivered modern, well-equipped classrooms and specialist facilities that enhance the learning environment while respecting the existing school fabric.

Overall, the works have improved teaching provision, increased flexibility for staff and students, and extended the life and functionality of the existing buildings.