Fordway Center short-term school in Stanwell, Surrey, is increasing its capacity with a new two-storey facility, currently being built by Morgan Sindall Construction.

Morgan Sindall’s Southern Home Counties company has been appointed by Surrey County Council (SCC) to deliver the £5m Alternative Delivery (AP) Centre, which was acquired via the Southern Construction Framework (SCF ).

The old building on the site has been demolished and construction work is underway. Once completed in spring 2025, ready for the Easter start, the new school building will include four classrooms and a dedicated reception, allowing the Fordway Center to accommodate 24 pupils.

The building will include group rooms and quiet spaces as well as an activity room, staff space and a holistic kitchen which will also act as a community space, where students can socialize and learn to prepare food . Outside, a multi-use play area (MUGA) will also be created.

Fordway, part of the Inclusive Education Trust, caters for pupils aged 6 to 11 who struggle to do well in mainstream settings. It aims to support and meet the individual needs of students and improve learning behaviors with the aim of reintegrating them into mainstream settings, where appropriate.

In collaboration with architects Holmes Miller, the versatile nature of the rooms being built will provide the school’s teaching and support staff with great versatility, allowing them to adapt the spaces to the needs of the student.

Sustainability has been a key aspect of the development, with the site designed to operate with a net zero carbon operation. The leading contractor’s team implemented a series of sustainable innovations to achieve this, including the use of a Streif closed panel structural timber building system, which delivers levels of energy efficiency students.

To further minimize the environmental impact of the project, Morgan Sindall managed to reduce the carbon footprint of the new buildings by 23.2 tonnes of CO2.

Reducing the size of concrete foundations and slabs was key to these significant emissions reductions. This was possible thanks to additional soil investigations, which identified better than expected soil properties. Additionally, concrete produced from ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) instead of ordinary Portland cement was chosen, which significantly reduces the carbon emissions of concrete.

As part of Morgan Sindall’s commitment to maximizing the social value generated by its projects, the local community will have the opportunity to train and learn new skills throughout construction activity. This includes work experience placements and programs aimed at providing employment to help local residents return to the workforce.

Guy Hannell, Morgan Sindall Construction Southern Local Counties Regional Manager, said: “As a business with roots in the region and its local communities, we understand how important projects like this are to the families and young people of Surrey. So it’s a real privilege to work with Surrey County Council, who are rolling out an incredible program of upgrading AP and SEN schools to meet the growing demand for this type of specialist education.

“Through our previous work on similar developments, such as Summerdown School in Eastbourne and Freemantles School in Woking, we are able to bring great expertise to the project and understand what it takes to create environments specialized educational programs adapted to the needs of SEN students. or students with additional learning needs. For the Fordway Centre, it was also important to leverage our knowledge of sustainable building to align with the council’s net carbon targets.

Councilor Natalie Bramhall, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Property, Infrastructure and Waste, said: “We are delighted to be working with Morgan Sindall on the delivery of the Fordway Centre. Through the creation of a sustainable site, Morgan Sindall supports our commitment to Surrey’s greener future and our net zero emissions ambitions.

“In addition, the construction of the Fordway Center fuels our ambition to increase the number of special school places in Surrey, providing local children with the best opportunities to improve their outcomes. »

Rumyana Odazhieva, architect at Holmes Miller, said: “It has been incredibly rewarding to design this sustainable and unique project that directly benefits local students with diverse needs. For many young people, adapting to new learning environments can be a challenge. That’s why Fordway’s exceptional work supporting students with specific learning needs is crucial to preparing them for future success.

“The facility is an ideal blend of versatility and people-centered design. Its thoughtful creation promotes an inclusive and calming environment where students have the space to learn at their own pace in a bustling urban environment. We are confident that this will be a space where everyone can thrive.

Morgan Sindall’s Southern Home Counties business has already worked alongside SCC to create additional places for SEN pupils in the county. This includes Freemantles School, which opened a new facility last year, which will allow the school to continue its expansion to 270 places, with two forms of entry for students aged 4 to 19. The new building is linked to the pre-existing school and has replaced three blocks of temporary classrooms with specialist classrooms including a creative arts room, food technology kitchens as well as a gym.

The contractor’s experience in delivering the AP and SEN sectors has also recently enabled it to deliver Summerdown SEN School in Eastbourne. Purchased under the Department for Education (DfE), the new school features a host of bespoke and specialist equipment including a hydrotherapy pool, sensory rooms, state-of-the-art food technology and science laboratories, as well as as well as landscaped gardens to provide an enriching outdoor environment. The school has created 135 much-needed local school places for children aged 5-16 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), complex learning needs and medical difficulties.