Woodmansterne Secondary School, Streatham Vale, London

Our team of educations specialists created a new 900 place secondary school in Streatham Vale, London, creating a rich and vibrant learning environment for both students and staff.

Watch our customer talk about the project:

The old and outdated original school building was fully demolished and replaced with a new secondary school which was carefully crafted to compliment both the modern needs of the school environment and that of the neighbouring community.

Procured through the Southern Construction Framework, the new school facilities include a sports hall and changing complex, 4 multi-use games areas including 3G grass surfacing, ICT suite, modern teaching classrooms and attractive new landscaping including specific play areas around the campus.

Customer engagement

Close cooperation was key - we formed an unbreakable relationship with the school, collaborating on teaching projects, such as showing Key Stage 1 kids, and helping engineering students build a tower.

We also offered tours of the school to pupils and sponsored the teachers’ summer party - and even played them at rounders! Also, our architect walked students through the 3D model as if they were playing a video game looking for objects using signage we had created and checking it did the job.

Perhaps the most satisfaction came from creating and teaching an “urban beach school” module thanks to the knowledge of one of the team who was studying to become a marine biologist.

Harnessing bright ideas

Our team also set aside 30 minutes a week specifically to come up with innovative ideas to use on the site. One included installing the air vents on the sports hall along with the steel frame, cutting down on the holes we left open during construction. Where there were holes, we used our building information modelling (BIM) model to check our health and safety plans - and make sure they were surrounded by sufficient barriers.

The executive head teacher Samantha Palin:

“I just wanted to drop you a line to record my gratitude for the tremendous team that have lead the Woodmansterne Secondary School project. I have a natural inclination to praise where it's due and in this case it is a little overdue!

“The community engagement and learning that has happened as a direct result of this team has been phenomenal. I had very low expectations of what contractors can and will deliver in terms of service and engagement! Your team has gone above and beyond for us as a school in a multitude of ways and always with a smile on their face.”

Giving something back:

Our team took part in many workshops with the students, telling them about the roles available in construction and the opportunities for women in the industry. They also created a community fridge (food bank) on site which was sponsored by the local Co-Op with daily food deliveries. This was located in a position to allow local residents, pupils and staff to get free food with no questions asked. The team was delighted to move this into the permanent landscaping allowing the school to continue its use going forward.

The school handed over ahead of schedule and defect free in April 2019.