Bishopton Primary School – £2.7m school expansion completed
A primary school in Stratford-upon-Avon will be able to welcome more than 200 additional pupils, now that significant expansion work has been completed.
Working together with local contractor Ashe Construction and the East Midlands Property Alliance (empa), Bishopton Primary School underwent a £2.7m expansion earlier this year to support the increased demand of extra school places in the area.
The works included an enlargement of the current assembly hall, a new area of car parking and eight additional classrooms. As a result, Bishopton School will become a two-form entry school and has doubled its potential pupil numbers from 210 to 420.
Headteacher, Lester Hunt at Bishopton Primary School is pleased with the finished project. He said: “We were delighted to be handed over the brand new build two weeks early this summer.
“Ashe Construction and empa have provided the school with an eight class key stage 2 block, a new reception class, an additional car park, a hall extension and refurbished offices.
“The children, staff and parents are all hugely impressed with the new facilities and have commented on how it is like being in a new school. We will now be able to educate twice as many children in excellent surroundings and we are looking forward to an exciting future as a result.”
Contract manager at Ashe Construction, Rob Slack added: “Due to an increased need for school spaces in the area, Bishopton School was required to become a two-form entry school to meet the growing demand. It is great to have had the opportunity to work on such a significant project.
“The work at Bishopton School went extremely well. From the outset, Ashe Construction worked together with the pupils, staff and parents to ensure that the project was finished to the highest standard and with little disruption to the student’s day to day learning. As a result, we finished the expansion two weeks early ready for the start of the September term.”
Ashe Construction is an East Midlands Property Alliance (empa) framework partner. Managed by Scape Group and formed by local authorities, the empa framework aims to improve the delivery of construction projects and property maintenance for public sector bodies, saving them and the taxpayer money.
Working across Warwickshire and the East Midlands region, Ashe Construction has worked together with empa to deliver 810 extra school places this year and is currently working towards creating an extra 680 places for the start of 2017.
Ian Towlson, regional frameworks manager for empa said: “We enjoyed working on such an important project which has helped bring extra school spaces, new job opportunities and provided a much-needed asset in the local community.
“Bishopton Primary School is just one of a number of school projects being delivered by empa and Ashe Construction in Warwickshire and we look forward to seeing the additional pupils settle into their new surroundings soon.”
For more information about Ashe Construction please visit www.asheconstruction.co.uk.
