Telford primary school welcomes new term with additional classroom
Short Wood Primary School in Wellington has started the summer term with additional teaching space, thanks to a new classroom.
Local building contractor SJ Roberts Construction carried out the construction of the stand-alone facility, affectionally known as The Lodge.
With a growing school population and a need for more flexible spaces that could be used equally for teaching, breakout sessions and planning away from the classroom, the school had repurposed the existing library but was conscious that this wasn’t a long-term solution, and more space was necessary. The school’s existing architecture, however, limited the options for an extension to the main building.
Head Teacher, Gail Butele, comments:
“We were clear on the need for extra space, but as a school with Green Flag Eco status, needed to ensure that any additional building not only complimented the landscape, but was also energy efficient and provided value for money.
“We’d considered a variety of extension and modular options before being introduced to the team at SJ Roberts which proved a real turning point. They listened to our needs, adapted some of the designs we’d already been working on and provided a solution that ticked all the boxes.”
Significantly, the new building at Short Wood has been realised in a condensed timeframe, with minimal disruption to the school and wider community and at an affordable price point. Constructed with a traditional timber frame open panel system clad in timber with a flat roof, the build fell under Permitted Development Rights, meaning no planning permission was required. Mike Sambrook, MD at SJ Roberts, explains:
“Working within a school environment requires an appreciation of minimising on-site disruption, as well as ensuring the utmost in safety. Constructing under Permitted Development Rights positively impacted on the overall build time with all work, from site preparation to completion, finalised within just eight weeks.
“The use of the timber frame panel system, meanwhile, worked well given the limited on-site access and need for the school to remain operational throughout. The unavoidable use of some heavy machinery was limited to school holidays.”
As well as its speed of construction, the new school building boasts a “B” energy efficiency rating and is heated by a modern Air Source Heat Pump. Significantly for the education sector where budgets are under continual scrutiny, the entire build cost under £175,000.
As the school looks forward to its first full term with the new building, Gail Butele concludes:
“The Lodge has been the perfect solution to our capacity needs and already feels like a familiar aspect of the school environment, like it has always been there. To have a library space again is a joy and we’ve got the potential to develop the outdoor area into a reading garden.
“It has been a pleasure working with the team at SJ Roberts. From the start, they shared clear plans and schedules; worked seamlessly with our site manager to ensure all school considerations were met safely; and they took the time to engage with pupils as their imaginations were sparked by the work being carried out.”
