Expansion projects at two Leighton Buzzard schools remain on target despite pandemic impact

The health emergency saw the shutdown of much of the construction industry through late March, April and May, with subsequent labour shortages and broken supply chains for equipment and materials.

Morgan Sindall was selected as the principal contractor by the governing bodies at both schools and Vandyke headteacher, Tim Carroll, said he has nothing but praise for the way that the company has worked with the school throughout the project and is striving to make up time lost due to the shutdown.

“Living alongside building works is a challenge as anyone who has had a new kitchen or bathroom installed at home will know!,” he said.

“Experience of large scale building projects like this in schools has not always been positive but to this point all has gone well here and illustrates how a school can be successfully expanded while still operating normally.”

“Throughout the project I have continually reminded everybody about the fantastic facilities students will soon enjoy as staff and visitors have had to cope with some inconvenience including reduced parking capacity and a short period of inevitable dust and noise.

"Working alongside the construction has in itself been fascinating as we have watched the progress every day. Our new building will house a wonderful Sixth Form Centre and 22 new classrooms including 12 science labs.

"Its design and build is a modular method which means units have been fabricated off-site before being transported here and fitted together. A series of 94 transporter lorries delivered the units in procession which were then craned into position. Stepping inside the building now and you would not know it was not a traditional-built structure.

"This method speeds up the process, reduces impact for the users of the school site and ensures a high quality build. Deciding to manage the project ourselves, opting for a modular construction and the appointment of the contractors themselves were all good choices.”

With progress on site continuing apace, Mr Carroll is hopeful both that students will be back in school in September for the start of the new term and that they will be getting down to work in their new classrooms.

“We have contingency plans ready in the event of a short delay in the handover but for now it is full steam ahead to get the job finished. If that happens, it will be a remarkable achievement.”

The work at Gilbert Inglefield sees a new building providing the school with 10 new classrooms, a new three-court sports hall and two IT labs, as well as the remodelling of the existing building to provide a new kitchen and dining area. In addition, there will be new Special Educational Needs (SEN) therapy spaces and an external multi-use games area.